The Newfoundland and Labrador Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
A month-by-month lawn calendar for Newfoundland and Labrador, built around St. John’s cool-season grasses and the province’s mean fall frost date.
Gardening in Newfoundland and Labrador
Everything we have worked out for Newfoundland and Labrador: 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 St. John's, the last spring freeze falls around May 30 and the first fall freeze falls around October 17, 1,006 growing degree days in the year.
That is little accumulated warmth: tomatoes need a tunnel or a greenhouse here, whatever the frost dates suggest. Garlic does well: 34.8 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Newfoundland and Labrador: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from Environment and Climate Change Canada. 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.
Colorado potato beetle in Newfoundland and Labrador: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Colorado potato beetle has never established a self-sustaining population across most of Newfoundland and Labrador, and that’s not an accident.
Cabbage maggot in Newfoundland and Labrador: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Cabbage maggot larvae show up in Newfoundland and Labrador gardens starting in late May or early June, right after the soil finally warms past the low…
Lily leaf beetle in Newfoundland and Labrador: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Adult lily leaf beetles wake up in Newfoundland and Labrador as soon as the ground warms in mid to late May, usually a few weeks behind their mainland…
Spotted wing drosophila in Newfoundland and Labrador: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Spotted wing drosophila reaches Newfoundland and Labrador later than the rest of Atlantic Canada and builds up more slowly, thanks to the province’s…
Seedcorn maggot in Newfoundland and Labrador: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Seedcorn maggot shows up earliest and does the most damage in Newfoundland and Labrador during the wet, sluggish weeks right after the ground thaws…
Emerald ash borer in Newfoundland and Labrador: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
As of now, emerald ash borer has not been confirmed anywhere in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Winter moth in Newfoundland and Labrador: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Winter moth larvae start chewing through hardwood buds in Newfoundland and Labrador from mid-April through early June, right as leaves are unfurling.
Squash vine borer in Newfoundland and Labrador: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Short answer: the squash vine borer almost never establishes itself in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Striped cucumber beetle in Newfoundland and Labrador: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
If you’re growing cucumbers, squash, or pumpkins in Newfoundland and Labrador, the striped cucumber beetle is not a pest you’re likely to battle every…