When to plant in Lorain, OH
Planting dates worked out from Lorain's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 13
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 24
1 year in 10 by Oct 9
Frost-free days
184
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Elyria 3 E · 13.2 km away · station 222 m, town 186 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 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 12 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 7 |
| Peas | — | Mar 26 – Apr 23 | May 20 |
| Bush beans | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jun 25 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 4 – May 16 | Jun 3 |
| Beet | — | Apr 4 – May 16 | May 24 |
| Potato | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 13 |
| Kale | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 15 |
| Broccoli | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | May 27 |
| Cucumber | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 2 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jun 27 |
| Winter squash | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Aug 1 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jul 5 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | Jun 26 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 10 – Nov 7 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 26 – Apr 23 | May 3 |
| Basil | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 9 |
Lorain'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 |
|---|---|
| 1950 | May 8 |
| 1951 | Apr 27 |
| 1952 | May 3 |
| 1953 | Apr 24 |
| 1954 | May 8 |
| 1955 | May 9 |
| 1956 | May 25 |
| 1957 | May 6 |
| 1958 | Apr 30 |
| 1959 | Apr 23 |
| 1960 | Apr 29 |
| 1961 | May 5 |
| 1962 | Apr 21 |
| 1963 | May 24 |
| 1964 | Apr 11 |
| 1965 | Apr 28 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | May 23 |
| 1968 | May 7 |
| 1969 | May 26 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1971 | May 4 |
| 1972 | Apr 28 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | May 10 |
| 1975 | Apr 27 |
| 1976 | May 8 |
| 1977 | Apr 29 |
| 1978 | May 3 |
| 1979 | May 5 |
| 1980 | Apr 17 |
| 1981 | May 3 |
| 1982 | Apr 29 |
| 1983 | May 10 |
| 1984 | May 16 |
| 1985 | May 9 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | Apr 9 |
| 1988 | Apr 22 |
| 1989 | Apr 24 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 11 |
| 1992 | Apr 28 |
| 1993 | Apr 27 |
| 1994 | May 14 |
| 1995 | Apr 26 |
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1997 | May 11 |
| 1998 | Apr 28 |
| 1999 | Apr 25 |
| 2000 | Apr 27 |
| 2001 | Apr 29 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | Apr 27 |
| 2004 | Apr 28 |
| 2005 | Apr 25 |
| 2006 | Apr 26 |
| 2007 | Apr 15 |
| 2008 | Apr 15 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2010 | Mar 31 |
| 2011 | Apr 3 |
| 2012 | Apr 29 |
| 2013 | Apr 26 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1951 | 184 |
| 1952 | 157 |
| 1953 | 166 |
| 1954 | 152 |
| 1955 | 165 |
| 1956 | 137 |
| 1957 | 159 |
| 1958 | 158 |
| 1959 | 178 |
| 1960 | 174 |
| 1961 | 182 |
| 1962 | 186 |
| 1963 | 142 |
| 1964 | 178 |
| 1965 | 159 |
| 1966 | 159 |
| 1967 | 149 |
| 1968 | 169 |
| 1969 | 149 |
| 1970 | 184 |
| 1971 | 183 |
| 1972 | 164 |
| 1973 | 202 |
| 1974 | 146 |
| 1975 | 158 |
| 1976 | 163 |
| 1977 | 165 |
| 1978 | 166 |
| 1979 | 174 |
| 1980 | 188 |
| 1981 | 166 |
| 1982 | 177 |
| 1983 | 172 |
| 1984 | 170 |
| 1985 | 172 |
| 1986 | 167 |
| 1987 | 186 |
| 1988 | 174 |
| 1989 | 167 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1991 | 187 |
| 1992 | 172 |
| 1993 | 166 |
| 1994 | 149 |
| 1995 | 150 |
| 1996 | 169 |
| 1997 | 164 |
| 1998 | 197 |
| 1999 | 178 |
| 2000 | 184 |
| 2001 | 161 |
| 2002 | 162 |
| 2003 | 161 |
| 2004 | 194 |
| 2005 | 186 |
| 2006 | 182 |
| 2007 | 196 |
| 2008 | 187 |
| 2009 | 198 |
| 2010 | 214 |
| 2011 | 208 |
| 2012 | 190 |
| 2013 | 198 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 18.6 °C |
| 1951 | 17.4 °C |
| 1952 | 18.6 °C |
| 1953 | 17.8 °C |
| 1954 | 18.2 °C |
| 1955 | 19.2 °C |
| 1956 | 16.9 °C |
| 1957 | 17.9 °C |
| 1958 | 17.3 °C |
| 1959 | 19.1 °C |
| 1960 | 18.1 °C |
| 1961 | 17.6 °C |
| 1962 | 18.2 °C |
| 1963 | 17.3 °C |
| 1964 | 18.4 °C |
| 1965 | 17.7 °C |
| 1966 | 17.0 °C |
| 1967 | 16.7 °C |
| 1968 | 17.9 °C |
| 1969 | 17.9 °C |
| 1970 | 19.0 °C |
| 1971 | 17.7 °C |
| 1972 | 17.4 °C |
| 1973 | 18.6 °C |
| 1974 | 17.7 °C |
| 1975 | 17.8 °C |
| 1976 | 17.6 °C |
| 1977 | 19.4 °C |
| 1978 | 18.5 °C |
| 1979 | 17.6 °C |
| 1980 | 18.5 °C |
| 1981 | 18.2 °C |
| 1982 | 17.7 °C |
| 1983 | 18.4 °C |
| 1984 | 17.7 °C |
| 1985 | 18.5 °C |
| 1986 | 18.9 °C |
| 1987 | 19.2 °C |
| 1988 | 19.0 °C |
| 1989 | 17.7 °C |
| 1990 | 17.9 °C |
| 1991 | 19.9 °C |
| 1992 | 17.0 °C |
| 1993 | 18.6 °C |
| 1994 | 18.2 °C |
| 1995 | 18.5 °C |
| 1996 | 18.0 °C |
| 1997 | 17.1 °C |
| 1998 | 19.4 °C |
| 1999 | 19.3 °C |
| 2000 | 18.4 °C |
| 2001 | 19.0 °C |
| 2002 | 19.6 °C |
| 2003 | 18.3 °C |
| 2004 | 18.9 °C |
| 2005 | 19.8 °C |
| 2006 | 19.1 °C |
| 2007 | 19.0 °C |
| 2012 | 20.4 °C |
| 2013 | 19.4 °C |
| 2014 | 18.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1950, Lorain's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Elyria 3 E (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.