Columbus, OH 43211 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Columbus, OH?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/20, about 235 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/24, about 185 frost-free days later.
Columbus sits in USDA Zone 6b (-5 to 0°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Columbus before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/20 isn't a guarantee
04/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/05 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Columbus compares
Columbus's growing season runs about 185 days, ranking 22,996 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within OH, it ranks 530 of 1,383.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Columbus's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Columbus's dates instead of trusting one.