Gardening in the Atlantic Region

The Atlantic is marked by warm, humid summers and cool winters, which typically allow for both annual and biennial seed saving. While heat-loving plants thrive, high humidity and chronically wet conditions can encourage disease and pests.

The climate along the coast and in mountain valleys is typically cooler than elsewhere in the region, making it easier for gardeners in these areas to grow cool-season crops during the summer.

Locations

The Atlantic region includes New Jersey, the Long Island and New York City regions of New York State, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Growing Zones

Growing zones in the Atlantic can range from 6a to 7b, with some mountain valleys in zone 5b and the southernmost areas in zone 8a and 8b.

The USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides the United States into zones according to the “average annual extreme minimum temperature.” Knowing your plant hardiness zone will help you choose crops that will thrive in your location. Your growing zone is especially helpful when growing and saving seeds from biennials (more on that later).

You can find out which plant hardiness zone you garden in here.

Growing Zone Maps

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Virginia
• West Virginia

First and Last Frost Dates

Your first and last frost dates help determine the length of your gardening season. These dates are especially helpful when growing and saving seeds from annuals. Use your last frost date to determine when to start seeds and plant out transplants. Use your first frost date to determine the length of your growing season and which crops will have the time necessary to fully mature in your region. The hottest regions may not experience a frost at all.

Click here to find your first and last frost dates by city/state or by zip code. 

Another cool tool is this interactive map of last spring frost dates across the United States.

Growing Window and Timing

Timing

Atlantic gardeners experience a pretty typical growing season, beginning in early spring and ending in the fall. In order to determine when to start crops, make sure to know the dates of your last spring frost and first fall frost.

Extending the Growing Season

With the right planning, Atlantic gardeners can extend their growing season through the fall and into the winter. These methods include:

• Planting quick-maturing crops and cool-season crops in late summer to early fall
• Succession planting
• Using row cover or cold frames to extend the life of crops that are sensitive to frost

Learn more about extending the garden season.

Tips for Growing in the Atlantic Region

Challenge: High Humidity

High humidity is one of the top challenges Atlantic gardeners face. While all crops need water, humidity can lead to diseases and garden pests, which damage your crops. 

Diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew thrive in high humidity:

• Keep plant leaves dry. Water at the base of plants, not overhead
• Space plants at the proper planting distance and prune to maintain good air circulation
• Prune and remove affected fruit and foliage, and throw out (not in compost)
• Treat with organic fungicide or neem oil

Pests thrive in humidity and around water sources:

• Pick off pests as you see them
• Spray plants with a soap and water mixture or with neem oil
• Utilize sticky traps to help address flying insect pests
• Utilize slug traps

DIY Neem Oil Pest Spray: Combine one gallon of water with one tsp dish soap and one tsp neem. Apply any neem oil treatments in the early morning or evening to avoid burning the leaves in the sun.

Companion planting: Companion crops are plants that help to mitigate pest problems by either deterring pests, attracting beneficial insects, or acting as a “trap crop” that lures pests away from your main crops. Plant companion crops around the border of garden beds, or in between vulnerable crops.

• Plant strong-scented flowers and herbs, such as marigolds, basil, lavender, and chives, to deter pests
• Plant varieties that attract beneficial insects, such as native flowers, dill, fennel, calendula, and borage
• Plant “trap crops,” such as sunflowers and nasturtiums, to draw pests away from other plants

Learn more about companion planting.

Challenge: Regular Rainfall

The Atlantic receives consistent rainfall and can encounter tropical storms, bringing heavy rainfall and high winds. This can lead to crop displacement, soil erosion, disease, and root rot.

Tips to prevent crop displacement and soil erosion:

• Use water-resistant row cover, such as tarps, during heavy rainfall to protect vulnerable crops
• Mulch heavily to protect the soil from erosion
• Use row cover or borders to protect plants from high winds

Tips to prevent root rot and diseases caused by excess moisture:

• Incorporate compost into the soil to improve drainage
• Monitor rainfall and be careful not to over-water plants
• Plant native plants with deep roots to absorb excess water in the soil and mitigate flooding
• Use trellises to keep foliage and fruits off the soil surface

Seed Saving

Annuals

Long, warm summers create conditions that allow seeds to be saved from most annual crops, especially heat-loving crops such as okra, tomatoes, and peppers.

Learn how to save seeds here.

Dry-Fruited Crops

Collecting seeds from dry-fruited crops, such as beans and radishes, can be as simple as going out to the garden, handpicking a few mature seedpods, and bringing them inside for further drying and cleaning. However, for Atlantic gardeners, frequent rains can pose a challenge when saving seeds. Heavy, frequent rains can cause dry-fruited seeds to germinate prematurely, increasing the likelihood of mold and rot.

Gardeners should harvest dry-fruited seeds when the seeds are as dry and mature as possible on the plant. If heavy rain is causing an issue, use water-resistant row cover, such as a tarp, to cover plants as they mature. 

Instructional Video: Sheltering Seed Pods from Rain

Watch this video below to see how we used a tarp to protect seeds from frequent rains at Heritage Farm.

Cool-Season Crops

Hot summers can pose a challenge for saving seeds of cool-season crops and can reduce seed quality or even kill flowers. Gardeners should plant cool-season crops as early as possible in spring so the plants have time to flower and set seed before the hottest days of the summer. Fast-growing, fast-flowering annuals, such as arugula and many Asian greens, work especially well in this region.

Biennials

Biennials are crops that require two seasons of growth to produce seeds. Typically, gardeners plant biennial crops, such as carrots, beets, and cabbage, in late summer and allow them to overwinter until spring, when they resume growth and flower. 

To produce seeds, biennials must undergo vernalization, a prolonged exposure to colder temperatures. In general, biennial crops need 10-12 weeks of exposure to temperatures around 50 degrees F, without regular temperatures below 35 degrees F.

With the exception of the warmest parts of the Atlantic, such as the southernmost area of North Carolina, winters should be cool enough to allow for in-ground vernalization of biennials. If your specific region experiences regular temperatures below 35 degrees F, you may need to dig up your first year biennial plants in fall and overwinter them in storage.

If overwintered in the ground, biennials should put on vigorous growth in early spring and flower early enough to harvest mature seeds in June, before the hottest days of the summer.