When to Cut Spinach in Pennsylvania, and How Long It Really Keeps
Cut spinach in Pennsylvania during two cool stretches: spring, from a March sowing until the heat arrives, and fall, from a late-summer sowing until…
Pennsylvania
Home and garden guidance specific to Pennsylvania: climate, seasons, local rules and rebates.
Gardening in Pennsylvania
Everything we have worked out for Pennsylvania: 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 Philadelphia, the last spring freeze runs March 29 to April 6 and the first fall freeze runs November 5 to November 16, USDA zones 5a-7b, 4,116 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 Pennsylvania: 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 Pennsylvania, and How to Keep the Spears
Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That is an object, not a date, so it works near Philadelphia and on an…
What Eats Asparagus in Pennsylvania, and When
Nothing in the verified material behind this page covers insects, so there is no month-by-month pest calendar here, and one won’t be improvised.
When to Cut Pumpkins in Pennsylvania, and How Long They Keep
Cut pumpkins before the first frost, with the stem attached, once each fruit has had 45 to 55 days since its flower opened.
What Eats Pumpkin in Pennsylvania, and When
In Pennsylvania, the thing that eats the most pumpkins is the calendar. Frost ends the season before late fruit can ripen, and the clock that decides…
When to Plant Grass Seed in Pennsylvania
Early fall is the best time to sow most Pennsylvania lawns. Cool-season seed (tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass) goes down while the…
When to Dethatch a Lawn in Pennsylvania
Most Pennsylvania lawns never need dethatching. Cut a wedge of turf, and if the brown, spongy layer under the green blades measures under 0.5 inch, leave…
When to Aerate a Lawn in Pennsylvania
In most of Pennsylvania, a cool-season lawn gets aerated in fall, while the grass is still growing and well ahead of the first freeze.
What Eats Pepper in Pennsylvania, and When
In Pennsylvania, weather takes more pepper blossoms than any insect does. Fruit set fails when days climb above 90 F or when nights drop below 55 F, and…
What Eats Carrot in Pennsylvania, and When
The verified facts behind this page name no pest species for Pennsylvania and no service that documents them.