When to Pick Apples in North Carolina, and How Long They Keep
Pick apples in North Carolina by watching the fruit, not the calendar: early varieties come off the tree from late summer through early fall, keeper…
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.
Does Insulation Keep a Home in North Carolina Cool?
Yes, insulation keeps a North Carolina home cooler in summer, and the state’s own weather record explains why that matters: the Charlotte reference…
Does a Wall in North Carolina Need a Vapor Barrier?
Yes and no. North Carolina’s 100 counties sit in three different climate zones, and the 2021 code writes a different answer for each.
Heating With Pellets in North Carolina: What a Winter Takes
A North Carolina winter rarely knocks a house flat, but it does show up on the pellet bill.
Hemlock woolly adelgid in North Carolina: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Hemlock woolly adelgid doesn’t follow a garden calendar. In North Carolina, this insect stays active on eastern and Carolina hemlocks nearly year-round…
Trees, Shrubs and Perennials for North Carolina: What Will Not Survive
North Carolina’s USDA hardiness range runs from zone 5b in the high country to zone 8b on the coastal plain.
How Much Insulation Does a Home in North Carolina Need?
North Carolina spans three IECC climate zones, so there’s no single R-value answer for the whole state.
When to Sow Beets in North Carolina
In the Piedmont, where NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate normals put the last spring frost between March 23 and April 5, beets go into the ground about two to…
When Can You Turn the Heat Off in North Carolina?
North Carolina doesn’t hand out a clean shutoff date for the furnace. The state’s calmest month, May, still carries a real mix of morning heat and…
Will Sweet Corn Ripen in North Carolina?
Sweet corn ripens without trouble in the Charlotte area of North Carolina. The growing season runs long enough, and stays warm enough, for a 60 to 90 day…