Western spotted cucumber beetle in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Western spotted cucumber beetle activity in Washington tracks soil warmth, not a printed calendar date.
Gardening in Washington
Everything we have worked out for Washington: 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 Seattle, the last spring freeze runs February 27 to March 18 and the first fall freeze runs November 13 to November 30, USDA zones 4a-9a, 2,353 growing degree days in the year.
That is enough for early varieties, tight for anything late. 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 Washington: 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.
The Washington Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
A month-by-month care calendar for Washington lawns, covering cool-season and warm-season grasses and the frost dates near Seattle that set the schedule.
The Best Grass Seed for Washington Lawns
Washington’s transition-zone climate means no single grass seed wins here. Here’s how the five realistic options trade off, and what to plant where.
Brown marmorated stink bug in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Brown marmorated stink bugs show up in Washington homes mainly in September and October, when falling temperatures send them hunting for a warm place to…
Flea beetles in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Flea beetles start chewing on Washington gardens as soon as soil temperatures climb into the low 50s, which usually means late April on the wet side of…
Cabbage maggot in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Cabbage maggot shows up in Washington gardens as soon as soil temperatures hold steady around 50°F, which typically means late March through April on the…
Colorado potato beetle in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Colorado potato beetle shows up in Washington as soon as soil temperatures climb past 50°F, which usually happens in mid-to-late April across the…
Wireworms in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Wireworms show up in Washington fields as soon as soil temperatures climb into the mid-50s, usually late April through May east of the Cascades, and…
Carrot rust fly in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Carrot rust fly shows up in Washington in two distinct waves each year, one in spring and one in late summer, and it hits hardest west of the Cascades…
Aphids in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Aphids start showing up in Washington gardens as soon as daytime temperatures hold steady in the 50s, which usually means mid-March in Seattle and…