When to Cut Spinach in Nova Scotia, and How Long It Really Keeps
Cut spinach in Nova Scotia from late spring into early summer, before the longest days arrive, and again in autumn before the first hard frost ends the…
Nova Scotia
Home and garden guidance for Nova Scotia: hardiness zones, heating seasons, provincial programs and the rules that differ from across the border.
Gardening in Nova Scotia
Everything we have worked out for Nova Scotia: 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 Halifax, the last spring freeze falls around May 7 and the first fall freeze falls around October 18, 1,659 growing degree days in the year.
That is enough for early varieties, tight for anything late. 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 Nova Scotia: 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.
When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in Nova Scotia, and How to Keep the Spears
Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That signal, not a calendar date, ends the season in Nova Scotia.
What Eats Corn in Nova Scotia, and When
In Nova Scotia, sweet corn is eaten up by the calendar before anything else. The soil has to reach 60 F, which happens well after the average last frost…
What Eats Spinach in Nova Scotia, and When
In Nova Scotia, spinach is rarely lost to anything with a mouth. The calendar does the damage.
What Eats Pumpkin in Nova Scotia, and When
In Nova Scotia, the first thing to eat a pumpkin crop is usually the calendar.
How High to Mow a Lawn in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia lawns are cool-season turf, and the right mowing height runs from 1.5 to 3.5 inches depending on the species.
When to Plant Grass Seed in Nova Scotia
Sow grass seed in Nova Scotia from late summer into early fall, and finish about 45 days before the first fall freeze.
When to Dethatch a Lawn in Nova Scotia
Most Nova Scotia lawns do not need dethatching, so measure before you rent anything.
Heat Pump or Gas Furnace in Nova Scotia: Which Costs Less to Run?
On running cost alone, a heat pump beats electric baseboard in Nova Scotia by a wide margin: C$25.28 per million Btu of heat delivered, against C$60.02…
When to Aerate a Lawn in Nova Scotia
Aerate a Nova Scotia lawn in fall, while the grass is still growing, and finish before the first frost window opens.