When to Harvest Garlic in Ohio, and How to Cure It
In Ohio, garlic planted the previous fall is ready to lift in early to mid-summer, once the bottom third to half of the leaves have browned while the…
Gardening in Ohio
Everything we have worked out for Ohio: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Columbus, the last spring freeze runs May 5 to May 15 and the first fall freeze runs October 5 to October 15, USDA zones 5b-6b, 3,783 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 21.8 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Ohio: lawn care, soil and amendments, watering, flowers and borders and the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Does Insulation Keep a Home in Ohio Cool?
Yes, insulation keeps an Ohio home cooler, though the case for it here is different than in Georgia or Texas.
Does a Wall in Ohio Need a Vapor Barrier?
Yes. Under the 2021 International Residential Code, a frame wall in Ohio needs an interior vapor retarder.
Heating With Pellets in Ohio: What a Winter Takes
A Columbus-area home logs roughly 5,233 heating degree days a year, and heating demand there stretches across eight months, October through May, peaking…
Trees, Shrubs and Perennials for Ohio: What Will Not Survive
Ohio’s winters run from USDA zone 5b to 6b, a spread that covers the Ohio River valley on the warm end and the state’s northern counties on the cold one.
How Much Insulation Does a Home in Ohio Need?
Ohio’s insulation needs depend on which of the state’s two IECC climate zones a home sits in.
When to Sow Carrots in Ohio: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Ohio gardeners typically slide carrot seed into the ground anywhere from several weeks before the average last spring frost through early summer, since…
When Can You Turn the Heat Off in Ohio?
The honest answer for Ohio is: there’s no calendar date to circle. September comes closest to a real pause, with about 186 combined heating and cooling…
Will Sweet Corn Ripen in Ohio?
Yes, sweet corn ripens across Ohio in a typical year, but the answer depends on soil temperature more than the calendar frost date most gardeners default…
When to Sow Sweet Corn in Ohio
The direct answer: sweet corn goes in the ground in Ohio once the soil, not the air, holds steady above 60°F, which lands well after the last spring…