When to Sow Pumpkins in West Virginia
West Virginia gardeners get one real planting window for pumpkins, and it’s set less by the calendar than by two numbers working against each other: the…
Gardening in West Virginia
Everything we have worked out for West 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 Charleston, the last spring freeze runs April 9 to April 23 and the first fall freeze runs October 18 to November 1, USDA zones 5a-7a, 4,159 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 21.8 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in West 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.
Growing Parsnips in West Virginia: Will They Sweeten?
West Virginia parsnips will sweeten. The state’s coldest month averages a nightly low of 26.1°F at the Charleston reference station, more than five…
Growing Spinach in West Virginia: When Will It Bolt?
Spinach in West Virginia runs into trouble from two directions that arrive close together: the long daylight of early summer, and the heat that tags…
Growing Pumpkins in West Virginia: Will They Ripen in Time?
West Virginia’s growing season allows pumpkins to ripen in time, but only if the vine flowers before the calendar runs out.
When to Plant Potatoes in West Virginia: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
Count back 14 to 21 days from your last spring frost date, once soil temperature hits 50°F, and you’ve got your planting window.
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in West Virginia
West Virginia growers dig potatoes ahead of the region’s first fall frost window, which lands October 18 to November 1 in the Charleston valley and comes…
Potato Varieties That Suit West Virginia
West Virginia gardeners get one real lever with potatoes: season class. In the Charleston area, soil warms to 50°F roughly two to three weeks before the…
When to Sow Carrots in West Virginia: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Sow carrot seed directly in the ground here in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked, since carrots shrug off a light frost and need somewhere…
Will Carrots Fork in West Virginia Soil?
Odds are, yes. West Virginia’s official state soil, the Monongahela series, runs 18 percent clay and only 27 percent sand, with a strongly acid surface…
When to Sow Beets in West Virginia
Sow beets in West Virginia two to three weeks before the last spring frost, which for the Charleston area falls between April 9 and April 23.