Black cutworm in Virginia: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Black cutworm larvae start cutting through Virginia transplants in mid-spring, usually within a few weeks of the state’s last frost, once soil warms…
Gardening in Virginia
Everything we have worked out for Virginia: 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 Virginia Beach, the last spring freeze runs March 20 to April 3 and the first fall freeze runs November 10 to November 24, USDA zones 5a-8b, 4,864 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 17.4 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Virginia: 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.
Cross-striped cabbageworm in Virginia: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Cross-striped cabbageworm shows up in Virginia mainly from midsummer into fall, not in spring like its cool-season cousins.
Trees, Shrubs and Perennials for Virginia: What Will Not Survive
Every plant on this page either survives a Virginia winter everywhere in the state, or it survives only in part of it.
How Much Insulation Does a Home in Virginia Need?
Virginia’s IECC climate zone map has a clear default: zone 4A applies to almost every county in the state, with 19 counties shifted to zone 3A and 5…
When Can You Turn the Heat Off in Virginia?
The heat can safely come off in Virginia by mid-to-late May for most homes, and the air conditioner usually needs to run by June.
Will Sweet Corn Ripen in Virginia?
Yes, sweet corn can ripen in Virginia, but the calendar that matters isn’t frost, it’s soil temperature.
When to Sow Sweet Corn in Virginia
Sweet corn goes into Virginia ground once the soil holds steady above 60°F, not on the last frost date.
When to Sow Autumn Spinach in Virginia
Fall spinach goes into Virginia soil once the ground cools below that 80 F germination ceiling, which for most of the state means late August into…
Will Spinach Bolt Early in Virginia?
Spinach will bolt early almost everywhere in coastal Virginia, and the reason has less to do with a hot afternoon than with how much daylight falls on…
When to Sow Parsnips in Virginia
Sow parsnips in coastal Virginia between roughly March 6 and March 20, two to three weeks ahead of the average last frost.