When to plant in Orwell, OH
Planting dates worked out from Orwell's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 1
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 18
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 8
1 year in 10 by Sep 28
Frost-free days
145
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Dorset · 23.0 km away · station 299 m, town 273 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 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 26 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 31 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | May 30 |
| Peas | — | Apr 6 – May 4 | May 31 |
| Bush beans | — | May 25 – Jun 15 | Jul 14 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 27 – Jun 8 | Jun 26 |
| Beet | — | Apr 20 – Jun 1 | Jun 9 |
| Potato | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jul 6 |
| Kale | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 2 |
| Broccoli | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jun 19 |
| Cucumber | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 21 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 16 |
| Winter squash | May 4 – May 11 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Aug 20 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 25 – Jun 15 | Jul 24 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jul 19 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 24 – Oct 22 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 6 – May 4 | May 14 |
| Basil | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 1 – Jun 15 | Jul 28 |
Orwell'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 |
|---|---|
| 1958 | May 24 |
| 1959 | May 16 |
| 1960 | May 2 |
| 1961 | May 30 |
| 1962 | May 10 |
| 1963 | May 24 |
| 1964 | Jun 5 |
| 1965 | May 1 |
| 1966 | Jun 2 |
| 1967 | May 30 |
| 1968 | May 8 |
| 1969 | May 27 |
| 1970 | May 8 |
| 1971 | May 4 |
| 1972 | Jun 11 |
| 1973 | May 6 |
| 1974 | May 28 |
| 1975 | May 8 |
| 1976 | May 23 |
| 1977 | May 15 |
| 1978 | May 7 |
| 1979 | May 17 |
| 1980 | Jun 17 |
| 1981 | Jun 1 |
| 1982 | May 4 |
| 1983 | May 18 |
| 1984 | May 17 |
| 1985 | May 19 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | May 8 |
| 1988 | May 26 |
| 1989 | Apr 25 |
| 1990 | Jun 5 |
| 1991 | May 8 |
| 1992 | Jun 22 |
| 1993 | May 21 |
| 1994 | Jun 3 |
| 1995 | May 8 |
| 1996 | May 31 |
| 1997 | May 23 |
| 1998 | Jun 6 |
| 1999 | Apr 27 |
| 2000 | May 16 |
| 2001 | May 31 |
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2003 | Apr 27 |
| 2004 | May 4 |
| 2005 | May 18 |
| 2006 | May 23 |
| 2007 | May 14 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | May 19 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | May 5 |
| 2012 | May 17 |
| 2013 | May 27 |
| 2014 | May 18 |
| 2015 | May 23 |
| 2016 | May 17 |
| 2017 | May 15 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 130 |
| 1959 | 123 |
| 1960 | 151 |
| 1961 | 126 |
| 1962 | 166 |
| 1963 | 133 |
| 1964 | 99 |
| 1965 | 156 |
| 1966 | 105 |
| 1967 | 103 |
| 1968 | 150 |
| 1969 | 124 |
| 1970 | 161 |
| 1971 | 183 |
| 1972 | 120 |
| 1973 | 137 |
| 1974 | 118 |
| 1975 | 128 |
| 1976 | 124 |
| 1977 | 151 |
| 1978 | 144 |
| 1979 | 128 |
| 1980 | 103 |
| 1981 | 129 |
| 1982 | 116 |
| 1983 | 152 |
| 1984 | 137 |
| 1985 | 136 |
| 1986 | 158 |
| 1987 | 185 |
| 1988 | 134 |
| 1989 | 152 |
| 1990 | 104 |
| 1991 | 142 |
| 1992 | 104 |
| 1993 | 131 |
| 1994 | 122 |
| 1995 | 125 |
| 1996 | 125 |
| 1997 | 126 |
| 1998 | 117 |
| 1999 | 147 |
| 2000 | 135 |
| 2001 | 129 |
| 2002 | 138 |
| 2003 | 158 |
| 2004 | 160 |
| 2005 | 163 |
| 2006 | 145 |
| 2007 | 167 |
| 2008 | 155 |
| 2009 | 145 |
| 2010 | 155 |
| 2011 | 172 |
| 2012 | 143 |
| 2013 | 149 |
| 2014 | 146 |
| 2015 | 146 |
| 2016 | 148 |
| 2017 | 138 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1957 | 16.8 °C |
| 1958 | 15.6 °C |
| 1959 | 17.5 °C |
| 1960 | 16.6 °C |
| 1961 | 15.8 °C |
| 1962 | 16.3 °C |
| 1963 | 15.4 °C |
| 1964 | 15.9 °C |
| 1965 | 15.5 °C |
| 1966 | 15.1 °C |
| 1967 | 14.9 °C |
| 1968 | 15.9 °C |
| 1969 | 15.7 °C |
| 1970 | 16.6 °C |
| 1971 | 15.7 °C |
| 1972 | 15.9 °C |
| 1973 | 16.2 °C |
| 1974 | 14.9 °C |
| 1975 | 15.4 °C |
| 1976 | 15.3 °C |
| 1977 | 16.8 °C |
| 1978 | 16.0 °C |
| 1979 | 15.3 °C |
| 1980 | 15.9 °C |
| 1981 | 15.9 °C |
| 1982 | 15.7 °C |
| 1983 | 16.1 °C |
| 1984 | 15.7 °C |
| 1985 | 17.9 °C |
| 1986 | 16.6 °C |
| 1987 | 18.2 °C |
| 1988 | 16.6 °C |
| 1989 | 15.2 °C |
| 1990 | 15.7 °C |
| 1991 | 17.6 °C |
| 1992 | 14.9 °C |
| 1993 | 16.3 °C |
| 1994 | 15.7 °C |
| 1995 | 15.8 °C |
| 1996 | 15.5 °C |
| 1997 | 14.7 °C |
| 1998 | 17.1 °C |
| 1999 | 17.0 °C |
| 2000 | 16.0 °C |
| 2001 | 16.3 °C |
| 2002 | 16.9 °C |
| 2003 | 15.9 °C |
| 2004 | 16.5 °C |
| 2005 | 17.2 °C |
| 2006 | 16.7 °C |
| 2007 | 16.6 °C |
| 2008 | 16.7 °C |
| 2009 | 16.3 °C |
| 2010 | 18.0 °C |
| 2011 | 17.6 °C |
| 2012 | 17.3 °C |
| 2013 | 16.7 °C |
| 2014 | 16.2 °C |
| 2015 | 16.8 °C |
| 2016 | 17.0 °C |
| 2017 | 16.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1958, Orwell's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Dorset (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.