Growing Potatoes in New Jersey: Dates, Varieties and Summer Heat
New Jersey gardeners get one real shot at potatoes here: plant early using the Newark-area frost window, then dig before the year’s heat load peaks.
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.
Pepper Varieties That Ripen in a New Jersey Season
New Jersey gardeners can expect a workable pepper season if they respect two limits at once: the state’s heat load and the plant’s own tolerance for cold…
Watering Through a Dry Spell in New Jersey
New Jersey gardeners get through a dry spell by watering deeply once or twice a week rather than lightly every day, checking soil moisture two inches…
Watering Pots and Containers in New Jersey
New Jersey’s summer climate sets a clear rhythm for watering pots and containers: heat pushes moisture out of potting mix fast, while the state’s own…
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in New Jersey
Forcing spring bulbs indoors works in New Jersey not because winters here lack cold, but because timing and containers create problems the ground never…
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in New Jersey
Spring bulbs grow well in containers across New Jersey, but the real obstacle isn’t winter cold; the state has plenty.
Canning at Altitude in New Jersey: What Your Elevation Changes
For most of New Jersey, altitude changes nothing in the canner. Newark, the reference point for the state’s lowest band, sits at just 30 feet, where…
When to Plant Onions in New Jersey
New Jersey gardeners put onion sets and transplants in the ground in late winter to early spring, usually March into April, well before the summer…
The Best Onion Varieties for New Jersey
At 40.68 degrees north, the reference point for this state’s climate data, the longest day of the year delivers 14 hours and 55 minutes of daylight.
The New Jersey Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
A month-by-month guide to feeding, mowing, and seeding New Jersey lawns, covering both cool-season and warm-season grass in the state’s transition climate.