Oak Hill, OH planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 7a0 to 5 °F
- Last frost
- Apr 30avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 15avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 167days
Oak Hill, Ohio is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a. Its average last spring frost is around April 30 and the first fall frost around October 15, giving a growing season of about 167 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Oak Hill planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Oak Hill's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | May 7 – May 14 | Jul 6 – Jul 26 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | May 14 – May 21 | Jul 13 – Aug 12 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | May 7 – May 14 | Jun 26 – Jul 16 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 7 – May 14 | Jun 21 – Jul 6 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 7 – May 14 | Jun 26 – Jul 6 | Aug 16 – Aug 26 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 29 – Jul 29 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | May 7 – May 14 | Jun 6 – Jun 21 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 17 – Jun 1 | Aug 2 – Aug 17 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | May 13 – May 28 | Jul 23 – Aug 7 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 28 – May 8 | Aug 12 – Aug 22 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | Jun 8 – Jun 28 | Jul 13 – Aug 2 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 27 – Jun 16 | Jul 18 – Aug 7 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00338810. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 8 | May 24 | Oct 5 | Oct 18 | 149 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 30 | May 16 | Oct 15 | Oct 27 | 167 |
| 28°F | Apr 18 | May 6 | Oct 25 | Nov 6 | 189 |
| 24°F | Apr 4 | Apr 20 | Nov 4 | Nov 19 | 213 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 3,315 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 5,686 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7a
Oak Hill sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 0 to 5 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 7a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Oak Hill?
- Oak Hill, Ohio is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 0 to 5 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Oak Hill?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around April 30, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as May 16, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Oak Hill?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 15. That leaves a growing season of about 167 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Oak Hill?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Mar 5 – Mar 19 and transplant them outside about May 7 – May 14, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jul 6 – Jul 26.
- How long is the growing season in Oak Hill?
- About 167 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~April 30) and the average first fall frost (~October 15). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00338810 (Waterloo, 7 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.