Squash vine borer in Tennessee: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Squash vine borer moths start flying in Tennessee anywhere from mid-May in the western part of the state to mid-June at higher elevations in the east…
Gardening in Tennessee
Everything we have worked out for Tennessee: 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 Nashville, the last spring freeze runs March 31 to April 12 and the first fall freeze runs October 28 to November 8, USDA zones 5b-8a, 4,937 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 Tennessee: 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.
Harlequin bug in Tennessee: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Harlequin bugs start showing up in Tennessee gardens in mid-to-late April, once soil and air temperatures hold steady above the low 60s.
Cabbage looper in Tennessee: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Cabbage loopers become active in Tennessee gardens from late April through early November, with the heaviest pressure hitting brassica crops in August…
Corn earworm in Tennessee: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Corn earworm shows up in Tennessee from late May through the first frost, with the heaviest pressure hitting sweet corn and tomatoes between mid-July and…
Imported cabbageworm in Tennessee: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Imported cabbageworm shows up in Tennessee gardens as early as mid-April in the western part of the state and stays active clear through October, with…
Colorado potato beetle in Tennessee: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Colorado potato beetles show up in Tennessee gardens as soon as the soil warms into the low 50s, usually mid-April in West Tennessee and closer to late…
Garden Pests in Tennessee: What Shows Up, When, and How to Stop It
A walkthrough of the insect pests University of Tennessee Extension flags for home gardens, how to identify each, and when to expect them.
The Best Grass Seed for Tennessee Lawns
Tennessee lawns sit in the transition zone, so the best grass seed depends on whether you want green winters or heat-tough summers.
The Tennessee Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
A month-by-month breakdown of Tennessee lawn care, built around the state’s transition-zone trade-offs and NOAA’s frost data.
Tennessee Lawn Care: What to Plant and When to Feed It
Tennessee’s Nashville-area climate data show why cool-season and warm-season grasses each fail part of the year, and when to seed, feed, and mow whichever you pick.