Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Vermont
Vermont pepper plants abort blossoms for two opposite reasons: a hot stretch that pushes days above 90°F, or a summer night that slips below 55°F.
Gardening in Vermont
Everything we have worked out for Vermont: 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 Burlington, the last spring freeze runs April 30 to May 10 and the first fall freeze runs October 3 to October 13, USDA zones 3b-5b, 2,644 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 Vermont: 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 Plant Potatoes in Vermont: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
In Burlington, Vermont, the answer comes from soil temperature working backward from a frost window.
Potato Varieties That Suit Vermont
Vermont’s growing window runs from the day soil hits 50°F to the day it climbs past 90°F, and that span decides which potatoes actually finish.
What to Plant in Vermont in September
September in Vermont still allows plenty of new growth before the ground shuts down for the season.
What to Plant in Vermont in October
October in Vermont is the month the first fall frost actually arrives, not the month you’re racing to beat it.
What to Plant in Vermont in November
Vermont’s growing season is essentially closed by November. The state’s average first fall frost lands between October 3 and October 13 near Burlington…
What to Plant in Vermont in May
May in Vermont splits the calendar in two. In the Champlain Valley, hardy crops go straight into the ground as soon as the soil can be worked, while…
What to Plant in Vermont in March
The honest answer for Vermont in March is that almost nothing goes into open ground.
What to Plant in Vermont in June
June is Vermont’s green light month. By the time it opens, the state’s last spring frost window (April 30 to May 10, per NOAA climate normals for…
What to Plant in Vermont in July
Early July in Vermont sits comfortably between the last spring frost (April 30 to May 10) and the first fall frost (October 3 to October 13), so the…