Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Missouri
Peppers fail to set fruit in Missouri when summer heat pushes past 90°F for stretches long enough to sterilize pollen and stall blossoms before they turn…
Gardening in Missouri
Everything we have worked out for Missouri: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Kansas City, the last spring freeze runs April 6 to April 20 and the first fall freeze runs October 18 to October 29, USDA zones 5b-7b, 4,194 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 21.8 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Missouri: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Growing Carrots in Missouri: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Missouri’s benchmark soil, the Menfro series, is a well-drained silt loam that gives carrots decent structure to grow in, but it is not the sandy…
Growing Beets in Missouri: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
Beets grow well across Missouri once you match the sowing date to your local frost window and keep the soil moisture even for the first six weeks after…
When Does the Heating Season Start in Missouri?
Heating season in Missouri opens in October, the first month when the average temperature dips below 65 F, the threshold used to count heating degree days.
When to Plant Potatoes in Missouri: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
Fourteen to twenty-one days before your last spring frost, once the soil itself hits 50°F.
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in Missouri
Missouri gardeners dig potatoes in the second half of September through early October, well ahead of the first fall frost window of October 18 to October…
Potato Varieties That Suit Missouri
Early-season and mid-season potatoes are the safer bet across most of Missouri, planted as soon as soil hits 50°F, which lands 14 to 21 days before the…
What to Plant in Missouri in September
September in Missouri belongs to fall crops. With the first freeze landing somewhere between October 18 and October 29 depending on where you garden…
What to Plant in Missouri in October
October in Missouri means garlic goes in the ground, hardy greens get one more sowing window, and the season’s last tender crops need to come off the…
What to Plant in Missouri in November
By November, most of Missouri has already crossed its first fall frost, somewhere between October 18 and October 29 in the Kansas City area, and earlier…