Spider mites in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Spider mites turn up earlier than most Washington gardeners expect, and the timing depends entirely on which side of the Cascades you’re standing on.
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.
Slugs in Washington: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Slugs turn up in Washington whenever the ground stays damp and temperatures sit in the 45 to 65 degree range, which in this state means most of the year…
Garden Pests in Washington: What Shows Up, When, and How to Stop It
WSU Extension lists 14 pests common in Washington vegetable gardens, from slugs and cabbage maggot to stink bugs, and how to tell them apart.
Washington Lawn Care: What to Plant and When to Feed It
Washington’s mild winters and rare summer heat put most lawns in a transition zone, where cool-season and warm-season grass both carry compromises.
Garlic Varieties That Suit Washington Winters
Washington growers plant garlic in fall using NOAA’s Seattle frost window and WSU Extension’s county data, choosing softneck or hardneck cultivars suited to the state’s winters.
When to Plant Garlic in Washington: Counting Back From the First Frost
Washington garlic goes in the ground based on NOAA’s fall frost data for Seattle, with the calculation shown so any county can adjust the date.
Growing Garlic in Washington: Planting Dates, Varieties and Winter Cold
Washington’s mild, wet winters supply plenty of chill for garlic, but timing the planting date to the fall frost window determines whether cloves divide into full heads.
Tomato Pests in Washington: Which Ones Actually Show Up Here
A season-by-season rundown of which tomato pests actually turn up in Washington gardens, how to identify each one, and what works.
Tomato Planting Dates in Washington: Counting Back From Your Frost Window
Explains how to use Seattle’s NOAA frost window and a tomato variety’s days to maturity to work out a realistic planting date anywhere in Washington.
Tomato Varieties That Ripen in Time in Washington
Nine tomato varieties matched to Seattle’s frost window, from 55-day cherry tomatoes to 78-day paste types, with the days-to-maturity math shown.