When to start planting a garden in ohio
Planting Zones in Ohio
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planting zones in Ohio
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the United States Department of
Agriculture USDA evaluated the growing
conditions across the United States and
Canada and developed an algorithm that
generated eleven agricultural zones
based upon average low temperatures USDA
zones two through ten are further
divided into sections a and B Ohio with
its winter temperatures of 0 to 20
degrees Fahrenheit
ladies and sones 5 & 6 zone 5a the USDA
hardiness zone 5a is present and only a
few small areas of Ohio the winter
temperatures can drop as low as 15 to 20
degrees below zero Fahrenheit the plants
grown in zone 5 a must be winter hardy
your winter temperatures may not be as
cold or you may provide protection for
the plants during the winter which
offers you a larger selection of plants
to grow in your area zone 5b most of
northern Ohio has annual minimum
temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees
Fahrenheit and is classified as USDA
hardiness zone 5b the average last frost
of the season ranges from March 30th to
April 30th the first frost of the season
generally comes in October plants
needing a long growing season such as
watermelon tomatoes and winter squash
should be started indoors 6 to 8 weeks
before the last expected frost date zone
6a
USDA hardiness zone 6a covers much of
the southern part of Ohio the winter
temperatures can drop to 10 degrees
below 0 F plants sold in nurseries and
greenhouses are generally marked with
growing requirements and the hardiness
zone a plant marked as Hardy from zone 6
through 9 can withstand the lower
temperatures of southern Ohio winters
but may not do well in the northern part
of the state zone 6b
along the Ohio River which borders
southern Ohio there is a small section
which is classified as USDA hardiness
zone 6b the winter temperatures may fall
to 5 below zero f during the coldest
part of the year because of the slightly
warmer temperatures the growing season
may be longer in hardiness zone 6b
fruits and vegetables have a longer time
to ripen as with any planting zone in
Ohio you must determine the microclimate
of your garden area before planting
microclimates the hardiness zones are a
guideline for gardeners to use when
planning a garden however the elements
and other outside factors may create a
bubble around your growing area these
bubbles are called microclimates high
winds or excessive rainfall may lower
the annual average temperature for your
growing area this means that you may
live in hardiness zone 6a but have
temperatures more in line with zone 5b
large cities often have higher
temperatures than outlying suburbs and
therefore the microclimate may be
different than what is on the map to
determine your planting zone track the
annual low temperatures match the
temperature records with the USDA
hardiness zone map for planting a
successful garden
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