Fall webworm in North Carolina: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Fall webworm shows up in North Carolina from mid to late summer into fall, when silky, tent-like nests appear at the tips of hardwood branches.
Gardening in North Carolina
Everything we have worked out for North Carolina: 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 Charlotte, the last spring freeze runs March 23 to April 5 and the first fall freeze runs October 30 to November 8, USDA zones 5b-8b, 4,943 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 North Carolina: 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.
Striped cucumber beetle in North Carolina: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Striped cucumber beetles start showing up in North Carolina gardens as early as mid-April in the coastal plain and by late April to early May in the…
Corn earworm in North Carolina: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Corn earworm moths start showing up in North Carolina fields as early as May in the coastal plain, but the real trouble builds through July and August…
Imported cabbageworm in North Carolina: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Imported cabbageworm shows up in North Carolina as soon as brassicas go in the ground, and it never really leaves.
Flea beetles in North Carolina: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Flea beetles start chewing through North Carolina gardens as early as mid-March in the coastal plain and as late as early May in the mountains, and they…
Japanese beetle in North Carolina: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Japanese beetles show up in North Carolina from mid-June through July, with the heaviest feeding damage hitting the Piedmont region first and the…
Cabbage looper in North Carolina: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Cabbage loopers show up in North Carolina gardens as early as April in the coastal plain and can keep feeding through October, with the heaviest damage…
Garden Pests in North Carolina: What Shows Up, When, and How to Stop It
A season-by-season look at the ten insects NCSU Extension flags for North Carolina gardens, how to identify their damage, and what actually controls them.
The Best Grass Seed for North Carolina Lawns
North Carolina sits in the turf transition zone, where cool-season and warm-season grasses each trade winter green for summer toughness.
The North Carolina Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
A month-by-month guide to feeding, mowing and overseeding North Carolina lawns, using Clemson’s fescue, bermudagrass and zoysiagrass calendars and NOAA frost data.