Ohio Planting Zones by City and ZIP Code
Ohio runs from zones 6a to 7a; 56% of its ZIPs are 6b, Columbus is 6b and Cleveland is 7a.
Ohio runs from zones 6a to 7a
The coldest night of the winter averages -10°F to -5°F in the coldest of Ohio’s ZIP codes and 0°F to 5°F in the warmest. Most of the state is zone 6b.
Planting zones of Ohio cities
| City | Zone | Coldest night, on average | Since 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus43215 | 6b | -5°F to 0°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (6a) |
| Cleveland44113 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (6b) |
| Cincinnati45202 | 6b | -5°F to 0°F | same as 2012 |
| Toledo43604 | 6b | -5°F to 0°F | same as 2012 |
| Dayton45402 | 6b | -5°F to 0°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (6a) |
| Athens45701 | 6b | -5°F to 0°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (6a) |
Tap a ZIP for that address’s frost dates and this month’s jobs.
Find your zone anywhere in Ohio
A ZIP code or a town gives you its zone, how it moved since 2012, the frost dates at the nearest NOAA station, and the jobs for this month timed from them.
What to plant in Ohio this month
The calendar for each of Ohio's main zones, from vegetables to pruning and winter protection, each job tied to the extension page it comes from. Pick a month, or read the whole year below it.
Timed from the median frost dates of the 66 NOAA stations in Ohio’s zone 6b: last spring frost Apr 22, first fall frost Oct 24. Your own ZIP’s frost dates move every window, so the ZIP tool times them for you.
Pick a month above to see every job in it.
The year at a glance
- Start vegetable seeds indoorsJan to Apr
- Sow vegetables in the gardenMar to Apr
- Sow the fall vegetable gardenJul to Aug
- Set out transplantsMar to May
- Plant trees and shrubsMar 11 to May 6 and Oct 10 to Nov 28
- Plant garlicOct 10 to Nov 14
- Plant tulips and other spring bulbsOct 31 to Nov 7
- Divide fall-blooming perennialsApr 1 to May 13
- Divide spring and summer-blooming perennialsSep 12 to Oct 24
- Prune trees and summer-flowering shrubs while dormantFeb 11 to Mar 25
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they bloomApr 8 to Jun 3
- Water evergreens and new plantings until the ground freezesSep 26 to Dec 5
- Mulch perennial crowns once the ground freezesDec 5 to Dec 19
- Pull back the winter mulchMar 4 to Mar 18
- Put hardware cloth around young tree trunksOct 24 to Dec 5
- Dig and store dahlia and gladiolusOct 24 to Oct 31
- Cut back perennials after a hard freezeOct 31 to Nov 28
What changed in Ohio since 2012
Every ZIP on both mapsCompared ZIP by ZIP from the 2023 and 2012 USDA tables; 1,391 Ohio ZIP codes appear in both.
Why Ohio’s zones moved
Of the cities above, Columbus went from 6a to 6b, Cleveland went from 6b to 7a, Dayton went from 6a to 6b and Athens went from 6a to 6b.
The USDA explains the national picture: “When compared to the 2012 map, the 2023 version reveals that about half of the country shifted to the next warmer half zone, and the other half of the country remained in the same half zone.” The new map uses 1991 to 2020 and more than 13,000 weather stations, so it draws Ohio’s hills, valleys and cities more finely than the 2012 map did.
A warmer zone changes which perennials and shrubs come through the winter, not when the garden gets planted; that still follows the frost dates.
Frost dates and seed starting in Ohio
Ohio planting zone questions
Planting zones by state
Sources. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP code tables (2023 and 2012), PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University; USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map (USDA Agricultural Research Service, November 15, 2023); NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal, by station (v1.0.1); NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Zones are read from the PRISM ZIP code tables, read Oct 9, 2026; a ZIP code’s zone is the zone at its center. The calendar’s extension sources are listed on the planting zones page and under each job.