Frost Report

All states Ohio

Frost dates for Eaton, OH

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

April 25

typical year

Safe to plant

May 10

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 20

typical year

Growing season

176 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Mar 28 – Apr 11 –
Spinach – Mar 14 – Apr 4 Aug 25 – Sep 8
Lettuce – Mar 28 – Apr 18 Aug 25 – Sep 8
Radishes – Mar 28 – May 9 Sep 8 – 22
Onions – Mar 28 – Apr 11 –
Potatoes – Apr 4 – 18 –
Carrots – Apr 4 – 25 Jul 28 – Aug 11
Beets – Mar 28 – Apr 11 Aug 11 – 25
Kale Feb 14 – 28 Mar 28 – Apr 11 Aug 11 – 25
Broccoli Feb 14 – 28 Apr 11 – 25 Aug 11 – 25
Cabbage Jan 31 – Feb 14 Mar 28 – Apr 11 Aug 11 – 25
Garlic – – Sep 8 – 29
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 15 – 29 May 10 – 24 –
Peppers Mar 8 – 22 May 17 – 31 –
Cucumbers – May 10 – 31 –
Zucchini – May 10 – Jun 7 –
Pumpkins – May 10 – 31 –
Green beans – May 10 – Aug 11 –
Sweet corn – May 10 – Jun 7 –
Basil Apr 5 – 19 May 17 – 24 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after May 10April 25April 11
Fall frost before October 6October 20November 1

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around April 12 (April 30 in a late year), and the first one in fall around October 30.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 9 towns.

Eaton, Camden, Lewisburg, West Alexandria, Gratis, West Manchester, Verona, College Corner, West Elkton

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station EATON, OH US (USC00332485), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 12 zip codes, all within 14 miles:

45003, 45064, 45070, 45311, 45320, 45321, 45325, 45330, 45338, 45378, 45381, 45382

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.