Beet Soil in West Virginia: What the Root Will Meet
West Virginia’s state soil, the Monongahela series, is a loam-to-silt ground that drains reasonably well but runs acid by nature.
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 Carrots in West Virginia: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
West Virginia’s official state soil is a strongly acid, silt-heavy loam that drains only moderately well, and carrots planted straight into it will often…
Growing Beets in West Virginia: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
West Virginia’s state soil, the Monongahela series, is a strongly acid silt loam that drains only moderately well, and beets want the opposite: deep…
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in West Virginia
Peppers in West Virginia most often fail to set fruit because the state’s growing season squeezes them between two temperature walls: cool nights early…
When to Start Pepper Seed in West Virginia
Start pepper seed indoors roughly 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to move transplants outside, which for most of West Virginia lands seed-starting in…
What to Plant in West Virginia in September
September in West Virginia sits in the gap between summer’s last tomatoes and the first frost, which typically lands somewhere between October 18 and…
What to Plant in West Virginia in October
By October, West Virginia gardens are past their summer peak and running against the first fall frost, which lands somewhere between October 18 and…
What to Plant in West Virginia in November
By November, the ground in West Virginia has already had its first hard frost almost everywhere in the state, so the honest answer is that very little…
What to Plant in West Virginia in May
By May, most of West Virginia has cleared its last spring frost window of April 9 to April 23, which means the month splits into two jobs: finishing off…
What to Plant in West Virginia in March
March in West Virginia sits before the frost window closes, so the ground stays the boss.