Now
28°C · Clear
Today
29° / 15°
Soil 6 cm
21°C
First frost
~55 days (Nov 2)
Gardening in Steubenville
AI field guide · refreshed weeklySteubenville Garden Guide: Early September – Transition to Fall Crops
Zone 6b with 55 days until the average first frost (Nov 2). Soil at 20°C is still warm enough for cool-season germination. You're past the spring frost risk (139 days since Apr 22) and entering the critical window for fall plantings that need 6–8 weeks to mature before hard freezes arrive.
Sow outdoors now
Spinach (Bloomsdale or Space)
Direct sow now; germinates reliably at 20°C soil and matures in 40–50 days before frost. Tolerates light freezes once established.
Arugula (Roquette)
Sow thickly in rows or broadcast; ready in 30–40 days, improves in flavor after light frost. Succession-sow every 10 days through mid-September.
Radish (Cherry Belle or Watermelon)
Matures in 25–30 days; plant now and again in 2 weeks for continuous harvest into October.
Lettuce (Buttercrunch, Oakleaf, or Winter Density)
Sow seed or transplants; cold-hardy varieties will produce through light frosts and into early winter under row cover.
Kale (Lacinato or Winterbor)
Direct sow or transplant; needs 50–60 days but flavor sweetens after frost. Plant now to harvest November–December.
Start indoors now
Cabbage (Savoy or Red varieties)
Start seed indoors now for transplant in 3–4 weeks; matures in 70–90 days, ready by late November before hard freeze.
Broccoli (Calabrese or sprouting types)
Sow indoors; transplant out in 4 weeks. Needs 55–70 days to head; timing targets late October–early November harvest.
Cauliflower (Snowball or Romanesco)
Start indoors now for transplant in 3–4 weeks; sensitive to timing but worth the effort for November harvest.
Harvest now
Tomatoes (all types)
Pick ripe fruit now; use green tomatoes for frying or ripen indoors on a sunny windowsill before the first frost.
Peppers (sweet and hot)
Harvest mature peppers; plants will continue producing until frost (Nov 2). Leave some to ripen fully for deeper flavor.
Summer squash and zucchini
Pick regularly to encourage continued production through September; plants decline as nights cool.
Beans (bush and pole)
Pick pods at tender stage; frost will kill plants within 4–6 weeks, so harvest what's ready now.
Tasks this week
- Clean up spent pea and early bean plants; compost disease-free material or leave stems as mulch to suppress weeds.
- Deadhead spent flowers on ornamentals to redirect energy and extend bloom into fall.
- Water fall plantings deeply after sowing; soil at 20°C dries faster than you'd expect, especially with low humidity (49%) this week.
- Scout for Japanese beetles and squash bugs on remaining summer crops; hand-pick or use neem oil before populations explode.
- Mulch newly sown cool-season beds with 2–3 cm (1 in) compost to retain moisture and moderate soil temperature swings.
Watch out for
- Dry spell this week (0 mm rain forecast through Sept 9): newly sown seeds need consistent moisture to germinate. Water gently every 1–2 days if no rain falls.
- Powdery mildew and early blight thrive in warm, humid September; thin foliage, improve air flow, and remove lower leaves on tomatoes and squash.
- Grasshoppers and aphids peak in early fall; monitor transplants closely and use row cover on young brassicas if populations spike.
The gardening note for Steubenville, every week
One email, Sunday evening. Unsubscribe anytime.