Welcome to Rutherford County, we are so glad to have you here in the foothills of North Carolina!
There are so many types of plants that can be grown here and we are happy to help you get started with tools and knowledge to best work with your lawn and garden. Rutherford County is in USDA Hardiness Zones 6b, 7a, and 7b.
Starting with your soil
A great place to start with getting your garden and landscape ready for planting is to get a soil test. Soil testing kits and guidance are available at the Extension Office. There are two seasons for soil testing, peak season is from December 1st-March 31st when tests are $4 each, and April 1st through November 30th when the tests do not have a charge associated with them. Soil testing support can be found here.
There is a new soil test form for homeowners from the NCDA as of December 2020.
Check out this
from 'Homegrown in the Garden' about how to take a soil test.
Think you might have persistent herbicides? Check out this awesome resource: Manage compost and Soil Contaminated with Broadleaf Herbicides in Residential, School, and Community Gardens
Planting Resources
The WNC Annual Planting Calendar is a great tool to see when to get your annual vegetables and herbs planted in the garden.
For vegetable gardeners, the Vegetable Gardening 101 resource page has amazing resources.
Average Frost Dates by County is a great tool for understanding when frost is likely to happen in your area.
Homeowner’s Guide to Managing Diseases Using Fungicides, Bactericides, and Alternative Products
The Trees webpage of resources from NC State Extension has resources around how to choose trees to plant, native tree ID, pruning, management, and more.
NC State Extension Homegrown Video Series
Vegetable-gardening-1_S8xU3Ci (1)
[Transcript/CC of Vegetable Gardening Google Doc Opens in a new tab]
Continuing Education
Check here for upcoming gardening classes in Rutherford County.
If you have specific requests or questions regarding resources or gardening questions, please reach out to our Horticulture Agent, Sam O'Connor via phone at 828-287-6015 or email at skoconno@ncsu.edu
