When to Sow Beets in New Hampshire
Direct-seed beets in New Hampshire two to three weeks before the last spring frost.
Gardening in New Hampshire
Everything we have worked out for New Hampshire: 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 Manchester, the last spring freeze runs April 16 to April 27 and the first fall freeze runs October 13 to October 26, USDA zones 3b-6a, 2,973 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 26.1 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in New Hampshire: 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.
Beet Soil in New Hampshire: What the Root Will Meet
New Hampshire’s representative ground, the Marlow series, is a sandy, strongly acid soil built under conifer forest.
Growing Parsnips in New Hampshire: Will They Sweeten?
Yes, New Hampshire’s winters bring enough sustained cold to sweeten parsnips left in the ground.
When to Start Pepper Seed in New Hampshire
Start pepper seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to set transplants outside.
Growing Carrots in New Hampshire: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
New Hampshire’s benchmark soil runs sandy and sharply acid, the kind of ground that drains fast but starves a carrot of the loose, deep root run it needs.
Growing Beets in New Hampshire: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
New Hampshire gardeners can raise a solid beet crop, but the payoff depends on two separate risks: dry soil in the first six weeks after sowing, which…
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in New Hampshire
Peppers stop setting fruit in New Hampshire gardens for two opposite reasons, and both can show up in the same season.
When Does the Heating Season Start in New Hampshire?
Heating demand in New Hampshire kicks in during September, when the state’s average temperature first dips below the 65°F mark used to calculate heating…
When to Plant Potatoes in New Hampshire: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
In the Concord, New Hampshire area, the last spring frost falls between April 16 and April 27, based on NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate normals.
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in New Hampshire
Dig potatoes here before that October 13 to October 26 first-frost window closes, cure them for two to three weeks in a warm, damp spot, then move them…