When to plant in Mount Vernon, OH
Planting dates worked out from Mount Vernon's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 20
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 6
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 6
1 year in 10 by Sep 22
Frost-free days
150
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Danville 2 W · 16.2 km away · station 296 m, town 305 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 25 – Apr 8 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 14 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 19 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 18 |
| Peas | — | Mar 30 – Apr 27 | May 24 |
| Bush beans | — | May 13 – Jun 3 | Jul 2 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 15 – May 27 | Jun 14 |
| Beet | — | Apr 9 – May 21 | May 29 |
| Potato | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 24 |
| Kale | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Broccoli | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 7 |
| Cucumber | Apr 22 – Apr 29 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 9 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 22 – Apr 29 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 4 |
| Winter squash | Apr 22 – Apr 29 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Aug 8 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 13 – Jun 3 | Jul 12 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jul 7 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 22 – Oct 20 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 30 – Apr 27 | May 7 |
| Basil | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 16 |
Mount Vernon'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 |
|---|---|
| 1964 | Apr 16 |
| 1965 | Apr 29 |
| 1966 | Jun 2 |
| 1967 | May 23 |
| 1968 | May 7 |
| 1969 | May 27 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1971 | May 28 |
| 1972 | Jun 11 |
| 1973 | May 18 |
| 1974 | May 26 |
| 1975 | Apr 27 |
| 1976 | May 19 |
| 1977 | May 12 |
| 1978 | May 3 |
| 1979 | May 17 |
| 1980 | May 15 |
| 1981 | May 21 |
| 1982 | May 3 |
| 1983 | May 27 |
| 1984 | May 17 |
| 1985 | May 9 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | May 6 |
| 1988 | May 4 |
| 1989 | May 8 |
| 1990 | Apr 20 |
| 1991 | Apr 25 |
| 1992 | May 7 |
| 1993 | May 22 |
| 1994 | May 14 |
| 1995 | May 3 |
| 1996 | May 15 |
| 1997 | May 23 |
| 1998 | Apr 29 |
| 1999 | Apr 28 |
| 2000 | Apr 28 |
| 2001 | Apr 30 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2003 | Apr 28 |
| 2004 | May 5 |
| 2005 | May 6 |
| 2006 | May 7 |
| 2007 | May 14 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | May 19 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | May 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 27 |
| 2015 | Apr 29 |
| 2016 | May 16 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 30 |
| 2019 | Apr 16 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | May 14 |
| 2022 | Apr 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 150 |
| 1965 | 149 |
| 1966 | 105 |
| 1967 | 122 |
| 1968 | 144 |
| 1969 | 124 |
| 1970 | 144 |
| 1971 | 132 |
| 1972 | 111 |
| 1973 | 123 |
| 1974 | 119 |
| 1975 | 139 |
| 1976 | 128 |
| 1977 | 147 |
| 1978 | 148 |
| 1979 | 146 |
| 1980 | 134 |
| 1981 | 125 |
| 1982 | 141 |
| 1983 | 118 |
| 1984 | 122 |
| 1985 | 127 |
| 1986 | 116 |
| 1987 | 142 |
| 1988 | 152 |
| 1989 | 141 |
| 1990 | 182 |
| 1991 | 148 |
| 1992 | 145 |
| 1993 | 133 |
| 1994 | 142 |
| 1995 | 142 |
| 1996 | 141 |
| 1997 | 131 |
| 1998 | 155 |
| 1999 | 146 |
| 2000 | 141 |
| 2001 | 159 |
| 2002 | 138 |
| 2003 | 156 |
| 2004 | 150 |
| 2005 | 163 |
| 2006 | 157 |
| 2007 | 124 |
| 2008 | 170 |
| 2009 | 134 |
| 2010 | 158 |
| 2011 | 169 |
| 2012 | 149 |
| 2015 | 168 |
| 2016 | 146 |
| 2017 | 169 |
| 2018 | 168 |
| 2019 | 179 |
| 2020 | 156 |
| 2021 | 172 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 17.1 °C |
| 1965 | 17.0 °C |
| 1966 | 16.1 °C |
| 1967 | 16.6 °C |
| 1968 | 17.4 °C |
| 1969 | 17.4 °C |
| 1970 | 18.4 °C |
| 1971 | 17.1 °C |
| 1972 | 17.2 °C |
| 1973 | 17.9 °C |
| 1974 | 17.1 °C |
| 1975 | 17.3 °C |
| 1976 | 16.7 °C |
| 1977 | 18.6 °C |
| 1978 | 17.8 °C |
| 1979 | 17.2 °C |
| 1980 | 18.0 °C |
| 1981 | 17.7 °C |
| 1982 | 16.9 °C |
| 1983 | 17.7 °C |
| 1984 | 17.1 °C |
| 1985 | 17.7 °C |
| 1986 | 18.5 °C |
| 1987 | 17.5 °C |
| 1988 | 16.9 °C |
| 1989 | 16.1 °C |
| 1990 | 16.1 °C |
| 1991 | 18.4 °C |
| 1992 | 15.7 °C |
| 1993 | 16.6 °C |
| 1994 | 16.4 °C |
| 1995 | 16.8 °C |
| 1996 | 16.3 °C |
| 1997 | 15.2 °C |
| 1998 | 18.1 °C |
| 1999 | 17.4 °C |
| 2000 | 16.5 °C |
| 2001 | 17.0 °C |
| 2002 | 18.0 °C |
| 2003 | 17.0 °C |
| 2004 | 17.2 °C |
| 2005 | 17.8 °C |
| 2006 | 17.3 °C |
| 2007 | 17.4 °C |
| 2008 | 16.9 °C |
| 2009 | 16.6 °C |
| 2010 | 18.5 °C |
| 2011 | 18.0 °C |
| 2012 | 17.6 °C |
| 2015 | 17.6 °C |
| 2016 | 18.0 °C |
| 2017 | 17.3 °C |
| 2018 | 18.1 °C |
| 2019 | 17.9 °C |
| 2020 | 16.9 °C |
| 2021 | 17.4 °C |
| 2022 | 17.3 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1964, Mount Vernon's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 7 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Danville 2 W (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.