Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in Virginia
Dig maincrop potatoes once the vines have died back, typically right around the first fall frost window of November 10 to November 24 in the milder…
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.
When to Sow Carrots in Virginia: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Carrots go into the ground directly, as seed, several weeks before your last spring frost, since the seed germinates in cool soil and the young plant…
Will Carrots Fork in Virginia Soil?
Mostly, no. Virginia’s benchmark soil, the Pamunkey series, runs mostly sand and silt with just 11 percent clay, well drained enough that carrot roots…
When to Sow Beets in Virginia
In most of Virginia, beets go into the ground outdoors 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost.
Beet Soil in Virginia: What the Root Will Meet
Virginia’s representative ground, the Pamunkey series, is a well-drained loam with enough sand to let beet roots push down easily but only about 1.2…
Growing Carrots in Virginia: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Virginia’s benchmark soil, the Pamunkey series, runs 50 percent sand and only 11 percent clay, well drained and slightly acid.
Growing Beets in Virginia: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
Virginia’s representative topsoil, the Pamunkey series, is a well-drained loam to silt loam running 50 percent sand, 39 percent silt and only 11 percent…
When to Start Pepper Seed in Virginia
Start pepper seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost, then hold transplants until soil reaches 60 F.
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Virginia
Peppers in Virginia most often fail to set fruit because temperatures push past the crop’s narrow comfort zone in one direction or the other.
When to Plant Potatoes in Virginia: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
For coastal Virginia, count back 14 to 21 days from the last spring frost window of March 20 to April 3, based on NOAA’s Climate Normals for the NAS…