The Ohio Apple Calendar, Stage by Stage
Ohio’s apple bloom, fruit set and harvest each track OSU Extension’s frost dates for Columbus, and the stage matters more than the month.
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.
When to Carve a Pumpkin in Ohio
Ohio’s mean first fall frost lands somewhere around October 5 to October 15, depending on where in the state you garden, according to Ohio State…
Growing Apples in Ohio: Varieties, Timing and Frost Risk
A look at which apple varieties fit Ohio’s climate, how to pair them for pollination, and why a late frost after pink bud is the real threat to the crop.
Heating a Home in Ohio: What the Winter Actually Costs
Columbus averages a coldest-month minimum of 22°F, which means most Ohio homes spend a solid stretch of winter running the furnace or feeding a stove…
Gardening in Ohio: What the Season Actually Allows
Zone 5b to 6b, frost by mid-October, a window of roughly five months to grow anything at all.
Twospotted spider mite in Ohio: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Twospotted spider mites become a problem in Ohio gardens during the hottest, driest stretches of summer, not in spring.
Cutworms in Ohio: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Cutworms show up in Ohio fields and gardens mainly in spring, from late April through June, when moth flights and overwintering larvae line up with…
Squash vine borer in Ohio: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Squash vine borer moths start emerging in Ohio around late June, with egg-laying activity peaking through mid-July into early August.
Slugs in Ohio: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Slugs turn active across Ohio once nighttime temperatures climb into the 50s, usually by mid-April, and they stay busy until the first hard frost in late…
Aphids in Ohio: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Aphids show up in Ohio gardens as early as mid-April on emerging perennials and stick around through October, with two population spikes: one in late May…