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The WVU Extension Garden Calendar is produced and distributed each year as a service to West Virginia’s many home gardeners and agricultural producers. The annual calendar is just one of many meaningful projects, programs and outreach efforts provided by WVU Extension throughout West Virginia’s 55 counties.
If you have gardening questions or want more information, please contact your county’s WVU Extension office. Be sure to check out information for controlling garden pests year-round as well as related coloring pages and learning activities for even more opportunities.
Enjoy this year’s Garden Calendar!
Download the 2023 Garden Calendar Get a Garden Calendar at Your Local County OfficeWVU Extension is committed to providing reasonable accommodations upon request.
Note: To print as many Garden Calendars as existing funds allow, WVU Extension may not be able to honor web or email requests for mailed calendars. Please contact your nearest county office to get a calendar. Your understanding is sincerely appreciated.
Fresh from the Garden Calendar
Master Gardeners Make A Difference in WV
Dear Friends and Garden Enthusiasts,
Read about Master Gardeners Make A Difference in WV
Native Winter Squash
As summer turns into fall, most of the produce we harvested will begin to decay if not properly frozen, canned or pickled. If you are looking to add another crop to your garden that will keep for a longer period and double as decoration, look no further than a winter squash.
Read about Native Winter Squash
Persimmons
Rich in fiber, antioxidants and countless nutrients – persimmons have been cultivated for hundreds of years. Native persimmons (diospyros virginiana) can grow to 30 to 40 feet. While you can start a persimmon from seed, using a stem cutting will give you an identical copy of the parent tree. There are several different methods that can be used to propagate native persimmon.
It is easy to propagate a persimmon from seed. Choose a seed from a fully ripe persimmon, remove a few seeds and soak them for a few days to loosen any sticky flesh. You will need to simulate the natural overwintering process by chilling the seeds, wrapping them in a moist paper towel and putting them in a jar or plastic bag inside of a refrigerator for three months. If the paper towel dries out, rewet it.
Apple Trees
Although apples are an adapted species, they hold a significant place in West Virginia’s history. One of today’s most popular apple cultivars, Golden Delicious, was found in Clay County in 1912. West Virginia’s star apple was marketed by Stark Brother’s Nursery to obtain nationwide, and eventually worldwide, fame. The Golden Delicious apple was designated as the state fruit in 1995. However, West Virginia was growing apples long before the discovery of the Golden Delicious.
Johnny Appleseed is said to have crossed the northern panhandle of the state in the early 1800s, and he may have planted the seed that developed into West Virginia’s first successful and super sweet cultivar, Grimes Golden.
Pawpaw Trees
With the outward look of a mango and the tropical taste of a banana, native pawpaws may seem as if they belong in more tropical regions. However, pawpaws have a range covering much of the southeastern United States, including West Virginia.
Pawpaws belong to the custard apple family, which is more widespread in the tropics. Yet, pawpaws are adapted to the more temperate climate of the Appalachian Mountains and surrounding areas.
Three Sisters Gardening Method
The Three Sisters Garden can be a fun and rewarding experiment for the family in the backyard vegetable plot. This ancient method dates back to Native American culture.
The trio of corn, pole beans and squash are planted together in hills, a crop management system called interplanting or companion planting. All three of these vegetables are warm-season crops, so they should not be planted before soil temperatures have warmed to 60 F, which is around mid-May.
Read about Three Sisters Gardening Method
Peaches
Peaches are a favorite fruit of many, but growing a peach tree from seed is not the easiest or best way to add this fruit to your home orchard. Vegetative propagation is more common and reliable to ensure that the new tree has the desired characteristics, such as bloom time, disease resistance, cold-hardiness, and the color, size and flavor of the fruit.
The most common method of peach propagation is through budding. To successfully propagate, two things are needed: a scion, which is a piece of vegetation from an existing tree, and a rootstock. A rootstock can be grown from seed or purchased. The rootstock determines the size of the tree and the tree’s resistance to certain weather conditions. The scion is what determines the fruit’s characteristics, such as flavor, size and bloom time. When propagating, it is important to check compatibility with the rootstock and the variety to be propagated, maintain good sanitation, and select a scion that is at least one year old and comes from a disease-free tree with vigor.
Raspberries & Blackberries
Blackberries and raspberries spark memories of picking with grandma and mashing them to make a pie. Brambles, which include blackberries and raspberries, are easily grown, and with some care, those memories can continue.
Brambles can be propagated by stem cuttings or layering. Propagating by seed is difficult and not recommended. Stem cuttings and layers result in a plant that is identical to the parent plant. Any variety can be propagated, but be aware of any laws with some of the improved varieties.
Read about Raspberries & Blackberries
Heirloom Tomatoes
When talking about heirloom tomatoes, West Virginians cannot help but mention the Mortgage Lifter – one of the favorites in the state.
The plant grows large, meaty, 1- to 3-pound red and pink fruits and will keep producing until the frost. This tomato variety reaches maturity approximately 80 to 85 days from transplanting. With West Virginia’s short growing season, it would be beneficial to start these plants six to eight weeks before Mother’s Day. That way, you can have a strong healthy seedling earlier in the season.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a venerable garden crop in West Virginia, but it is becoming a forgotten vegetable. Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable that can produce for more than 10 years. The rhubarb plant has very large leaves with thick leaf stalks. The leaf stalks can be red or green and are typically harvested when they reach a length of 12 to 18 inches in mid- to late spring in West Virginia. While red stalks are slightly sweeter, green stalk varieties yield more.
Rhubarb can be grown from seed, but it is more commonly propagated from crowns. Rhubarb crowns can be purchased from nurseries, or sections of crowns from established plantings can be divided in the fall and replanted. Rhubarb prefers soil high in organic matter, so applying compost is beneficial. When planting rhubarb in early spring, it is important to choose a well-drained area that receives primarily morning sun. Rhubarb does well as a container plant. Mulching rhubarb keeps the soil cool and extends the harvest season.
Wild Ramps
Ramps announce the arrival of spring in the woods. Many folks eagerly anticipate using the savory plants as a spring tonic to get them out of the winter blues. Ramps are known as wild leeks, which are native to West Virginia. They belong to the lily family and are close relatives of the onion and garlic. Ramps take advantage of the early spring sunlight to grow before the trees leaf out. The foliage remains green for approximately six weeks, turns yellow and then disappears. The bulbs, like onions, remain in the soil.
In the middle of summer, the ramp will produce tiny white flowers and later develop shiny black seeds. Once the seeds have ripened, they will fall to the ground. Ramps are like no other leeks, because the seeds can take a year or more to germinate in the forest. Wild ramps usually are found in patches of hundreds and even thousands. The soil below deciduous trees provides adequate nutrients and moisture for them to thrive.
Wild Elderberries
Elderberries are native to eastern North America and have many essential nutrients for health. To grow wild elderberries from your own land, identify a healthy wild plant that produces abundant fruit. Then, follow one of the three methods below.
Method One: In summer, select healthy, undamaged stems that are changing from green to brown before berries have formed (June or July). Using sharp, clean pruners, cut stems at an angle with two to four nodes. A node is the space on the stem between leaves. Remove leaves from the lower two-thirds of the cutting. Insert two nodes into moist rooting medium made of half sand and half cocoa coir. To maintain moisture, tent with clear plastic and/or mist the plant every two to three days. Keep the rooting medium moist but not wet. A new root system should develop within six weeks. Then, transplant into potting soil. Leaf buds will often sprout several weeks before roots are developed.
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