When to Cut Spinach in South Dakota, and How Long It Really Keeps
Cut spinach as soon as the leaves are big enough to eat, and don’t wait for them to get bigger. In South Dakota the clock runs out fast.
South Dakota
What home and garden advice looks like when it is written for South Dakota — midwest seasons, midwest rules, and the numbers that go with them.
Gardening in South Dakota
Everything we have worked out for South 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 Sioux Falls, the last spring freeze runs April 29 to May 9 and the first fall freeze runs September 24 to October 4, USDA zones 3b-5b, 3,003 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 South 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 Cut Pumpkins in South Dakota, and How Long They Keep
Cut a pumpkin once the color is full and the rind has hardened, and cut it before frost with the stem still attached.
When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in South Dakota, and How to Keep the Spears
Stop cutting when most of the spears coming up are thinner than a pencil. That is a signal from the plant, not a date on the calendar.
What Eats Spinach in South Dakota, and When
Two things eat spinach’s season in South Dakota, and neither is an insect. Long days push the plant toward flowering no matter how cool the weather…
What Eats Pumpkin in South Dakota, and When
In South Dakota, the biggest thing that eats a pumpkin is the calendar. Frost ends the season for the vine and the fruit alike, and a pumpkin that is…
Heat Pump or Gas Furnace in South Dakota: Which Costs Less to Run?
Against electric baseboard, a heat pump is the clear winner on running cost in South Dakota.
When to Dig Up Dahlias, Cannas and Gladiolus in South Dakota
In South Dakota, dahlias, cannas and gladiolus come out of the ground every fall, about one to two weeks after the first frost blackens the foliage.
How Late Can You Plant Trees and Shrubs in Fall in South Dakota?
The safe target for planting trees and shrubs in South Dakota is August 13 to August 23, which is six weeks before the first fall frost (September 24 to…
When to Mulch Strawberries and Perennials for Winter in South Dakota
In South Dakota, winter mulch goes on after the ground starts to freeze, not when the first frost hits.
When to Winterize Sprinklers and Outdoor Faucets in South Dakota
Sprinkler lines and outdoor taps in South Dakota need to be drained in the weeks around the first fall frost, which for much of the state means late…