Watering Through a Dry Spell in Pennsylvania
June is Pennsylvania’s driest summer month, averaging 4.04 inches of rain, while the state sees 24.0 days a year at or above 90F.
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.
Watering Pots and Containers in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania gardens get a decent amount of summer rain on paper, but the timing and the heat that comes with it decide whether that rain actually…
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in Pennsylvania
Forcing spring bulbs indoors works in Pennsylvania by giving bulbs the cold period they need artificially, then bringing them into warmth and light on a…
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in Pennsylvania
Yes, spring bulbs can be forced and grown in containers in Pennsylvania, but the container itself is the variable that decides success, not the region’s…
Canning at Altitude in Pennsylvania: What Your Elevation Changes
Philadelphia sits at 39 feet above sea level, well inside the 0-to-2,000-foot band where the USDA’s canning charts group water as boiling somewhere…
When to Plant Onions in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania onions go into the ground in late winter to early spring, not autumn, because winters here are too cold for the fall-planting approach that…
The Best Onion Varieties for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania sits at 39.87°N latitude (measured at Harrisburg, the reference point for this page), where the longest day of the year delivers 14 hours…
The Best Grass Seed for Pennsylvania Lawns
Pennsylvania lawns sit in the transition zone, where cool-season and warm-season grasses each trade summer heat tolerance for winter color, and neither wins outright.
The Pennsylvania Apple Calendar, Stage by Stage
A stage-by-stage look at the Pennsylvania apple year, from dormancy to fruit set, anchored to NOAA’s Philadelphia frost dates and how the rest of the state differs.
Firewood in Pennsylvania: Which Woods Your Winter Actually Needs
Pennsylvania winters don’t ask politely. In Philadelphia, the coldest month averages a low of 26 degrees Fahrenheit, and that single number shapes almost…