When to plant in Cleveland, OH
Planting dates worked out from Cleveland's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 16
1 year in 10 by Nov 4
Frost-free days
228
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Cleveland Burke Lakefront Ap · 3.6 km away · station 177 m, town 199 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 19 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 24 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 20 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 6 |
| Peas | — | Mar 27 – Apr 24 | May 21 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 6 – May 18 | Jun 5 |
| Beet | — | Apr 6 – May 18 | May 26 |
| Potato | — | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | Jun 15 |
| Kale | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | May 16 |
| Broccoli | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 17 | May 26 |
| Cucumber | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 14 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 9 |
| Winter squash | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jul 14 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 27 – Apr 17 | Jun 25 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 20 – Nov 17 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 27 – Apr 24 | May 4 |
| Basil | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 21 |
Cleveland's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Mar 24 |
| 1999 | Mar 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | Apr 4 |
| 2002 | Apr 7 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | Mar 23 |
| 2005 | Mar 27 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 8 |
| 2008 | Apr 3 |
| 2009 | Apr 7 |
| 2010 | Mar 30 |
| 2011 | Mar 30 |
| 2012 | Mar 27 |
| 2013 | Apr 6 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 24 |
| 2016 | Apr 10 |
| 2017 | Mar 23 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 1 |
| 2020 | Apr 16 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Mar 29 |
| 2023 | Mar 30 |
| 2024 | Mar 24 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 242 |
| 1999 | 220 |
| 2000 | 219 |
| 2001 | 250 |
| 2002 | 208 |
| 2003 | 211 |
| 2004 | 235 |
| 2005 | 233 |
| 2006 | 196 |
| 2007 | 228 |
| 2008 | 228 |
| 2009 | 240 |
| 2010 | 240 |
| 2011 | 232 |
| 2012 | 224 |
| 2015 | 211 |
| 2016 | 224 |
| 2017 | 231 |
| 2018 | 202 |
| 2019 | 218 |
| 2020 | 228 |
| 2021 | 226 |
| 2022 | 232 |
| 2023 | 241 |
| 2024 | 249 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 19.0 °C |
| 1999 | 19.2 °C |
| 2000 | 17.9 °C |
| 2001 | 18.4 °C |
| 2002 | 19.0 °C |
| 2003 | 17.5 °C |
| 2004 | 20.4 °C |
| 2005 | 20.1 °C |
| 2006 | 18.7 °C |
| 2007 | 19.7 °C |
| 2008 | 19.3 °C |
| 2009 | 18.6 °C |
| 2010 | 20.4 °C |
| 2011 | 19.4 °C |
| 2012 | 19.5 °C |
| 2013 | 18.4 °C |
| 2014 | 18.3 °C |
| 2015 | 19.2 °C |
| 2016 | 19.9 °C |
| 2017 | 19.2 °C |
| 2018 | 19.2 °C |
| 2019 | 19.3 °C |
| 2020 | 19.0 °C |
| 2021 | 20.2 °C |
| 2022 | 19.7 °C |
| 2023 | 18.7 °C |
| 2024 | 21.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Cleveland Burke Lakefront Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.