When to Cut Spinach in North Dakota, and How Long It Really Keeps
Cut spinach in North Dakota from late spring into early summer, as soon as the leaves are big enough to eat and before a flower stalk starts to rise.
North Dakota
Home and garden guidance for North Dakota: planting dates for its climate zones, the codes that apply locally, and the rebates residents can actually claim.
Gardening in North Dakota
Everything we have worked out for North Dakota: 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 Fargo, the last spring freeze runs May 4 to May 15 and the first fall freeze runs September 25 to October 5, USDA zones 3a-4b, 2,673 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 30.4 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in North Dakota: 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.
When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in North Dakota, and How to Keep the Spears
Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That is an object you can hold, not a week on the calendar.
What Eats Corn in North Dakota, and When
Before any insect or raccoon shows up, three things eat into a North Dakota sweet corn crop: soil too cold at planting, a season too short for the…
What Eats Pumpkin in North Dakota, and When
In North Dakota, the biggest thing that eats a pumpkin is the calendar. Frost arrives in late September or early October at the reference station, and a…
What Eats Spinach in North Dakota, and When
In North Dakota, what eats spinach is mostly the calendar. Daylight peaks at 15 h 41 on the longest day, and long days plus warmth push the plant to…
How High to Mow a Lawn in North Dakota
Most North Dakota lawns do best cut at 2 to 3 inches. Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescues sit in that range, while tall fescue wants 3 to 3.5 inches and…
When to Plant Grass Seed in North Dakota
Sow grass seed in North Dakota from mid-August into early September. The deadline is set by your first fall freeze: the seed needs about 45 days of…
When to Dethatch a Lawn in North Dakota
Most North Dakota lawns do not need dethatching. Cut a wedge out of the turf and measure the brown, spongy layer: under 0.5 inch is healthy, and action…
Heat Pump or Gas Furnace in North Dakota: Which Costs Less to Run?
Against electric baseboard, a heat pump wins on running cost in North Dakota: $15.26 per million Btu of delivered heat versus $36.23.
When to Aerate a Lawn in North Dakota
Aerate a North Dakota lawn in fall, while the grass is still growing and before the first freeze arrives.