Rhode Island

For homeowners and renters in Rhode Island: the planting calendar, the maintenance schedule and the local programs worth knowing about.

Gardening in Rhode Island

Everything we have worked out for Rhode Island: 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 Providence, the last spring freeze runs April 7 to April 17 and the first fall freeze runs October 24 to November 3, USDA zones 6a-7b, 3,229 growing degree days in the year.

Garlic does well: 26.1 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.

Elsewhere on the property in Rhode Island: 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 Mulch Strawberries and Perennials for Winter in Rhode Island

When to Mulch Strawberries and Perennials for Winter in Minnesota

In Rhode Island, winter mulch for strawberries and tender perennials goes on in late fall, after the soil surface has started to freeze.

When to Dig Up Dahlias, Cannas and Gladiolus in Rhode Island

Terracotta pots with emerging spring bulbs arranged on a frozen wooden patio, with burlap cloth and snowy farm field visible beyond.

Dahlias, cannas and gladiolus come out of Rhode Island soil after the first frost blackens their leaves, not before.

When to Winterize Sprinklers and Outdoor Faucets in Rhode Island

When to Winterize Sprinklers and Outdoor Faucets in Minnesota

Rhode Island sprinkler systems and outdoor faucets need to be shut down before the first hard freeze, and the clock for that starts in October.

How High to Mow a Lawn in Rhode Island

Weeds sprouting along a concrete edge in a lawn area during warm season.

Set the mower between 2 and 3 inches for most Rhode Island lawns, and raise it to 3 to 3.5 inches if the grass is tall fescue.

Heat Pump or Gas Furnace in Rhode Island: Which Costs Less to Run?

Heat Pump or Gas Furnace in Florida: Which Costs Less to Run?

On fuel cost alone, a natural gas furnace is cheaper to run than a heat pump in Rhode Island.

When to Cut Spinach in Rhode Island, and How Long It Really Keeps

A young spinach plant with emerging flower bud grows in a sunny raised garden bed with dark soil.

Cut spinach in Rhode Island as soon as a late-March or early-April sowing has leaves worth eating, and finish before the warm afternoons arrive.

When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in Rhode Island, and How to Keep the Spears

Young asparagus spears pushing through rich dark soil in a wooden raised garden bed on a sunny spring day.

Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That is an object to look at, not a date to circle.

When to Cut Pumpkins in Rhode Island, and How Long They Keep

A mature red pumpkin ripening on the vine in a vegetable garden setting.

Cut pumpkins in Rhode Island before the first hard fall frost, once the fruit has fully colored, and leave a piece of stem attached.

What Eats Spinach in Rhode Island, and When

A young spinach plant with emerging flower bud grows in a sunny raised garden bed with dark soil.

In Rhode Island, what eats a spinach crop is mostly the calendar. Long days and warm weather push the plant to flower, and once it does, the harvest is…

What Eats Pumpkin in Rhode Island, and When

A glowing carved jack-o-lantern pumpkin sits on a frost-covered front porch with autumn foliage visible in the blurred background.

Frost is what ends most Rhode Island pumpkins, but the damage is usually settled weeks earlier, by the day the flower opened.