Tobacco hornworm in New Jersey: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Tobacco hornworms turn up in New Jersey gardens from late June through September, with the heaviest feeding damage hitting in July and August.
Gardening in New Jersey
Everything we have worked out for New Jersey: 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 Newark, the last spring freeze runs March 29 to April 6 and the first fall freeze runs November 4 to November 16, USDA zones 6a-7b, 3,881 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 New Jersey: 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.
Tomato hornworm in New Jersey: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Tomato hornworms show up in New Jersey gardens in two waves each year, the first in late June through July and a second, often heavier, wave in August…
Garden Pests in New Jersey: What Shows Up, When, and How to Stop It
A county-by-county look at the ten insects Rutgers NJAES flags for New Jersey vegetable gardens and what actually controls each one.
New Jersey Lawn Care: What to Plant and When to Feed It
New Jersey’s transition-zone climate means no single grass works year-round. This explains when to seed, feed, and water each type of lawn.
When to Plant Garlic in New Jersey: Counting Back From the First Frost
New Jersey gardeners plant garlic cloves from mid October through late October, timed to root before Newark’s first fall frost arrives.
Garlic Varieties That Suit New Jersey Winters
New Jersey’s cold winters suit both softneck and hardneck garlic; this guide gives the October planting window and the varieties that handle it.
Growing Garlic in New Jersey: Planting Dates, Varieties and Winter Cold
New Jersey’s cold winters reliably vernalize garlic, so plant cloves mid to late October, pick hardneck or softneck by county, and mulch before the ground freezes.
Tomato Planting Dates in New Jersey: Counting Back From Your Frost Window
Newark’s frost window sets New Jersey’s tomato transplant date; here’s how to count backward from it using your cultivar’s days to maturity.
Tomato Varieties That Ripen in Time in New Jersey
Using Newark’s NOAA frost window and catalog days to maturity, this guide sorts fourteen tomato varieties by how comfortably each one ripens before frost in New Jersey.
Tomato Pests in New Jersey: Which Ones Actually Show Up Here
A season-by-season rundown of the tomato pests that actually turn up in New Jersey gardens, how to identify each one, and what stops it.