When to plant in Sunbury, OH
Planting dates worked out from Sunbury's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 7
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 24
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 20
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
177
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Westerville · 14.8 km away · station 244 m, town 296 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 12 – Mar 26 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 1 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 6 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 20 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 6 |
| Peas | — | Mar 19 – Apr 16 | May 13 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 19 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 3 – May 15 | Jun 2 |
| Beet | — | Mar 27 – May 8 | May 16 |
| Potato | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | Jun 12 |
| Kale | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 9 |
| Broccoli | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 17 | May 26 |
| Cucumber | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 26 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 21 |
| Winter squash | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 26 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 29 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 27 – Apr 17 | Jun 25 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 6 – Nov 3 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 19 – Apr 16 | Apr 26 |
| Basil | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 3 |
Sunbury'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 |
|---|---|
| 1953 | Apr 21 |
| 1954 | May 10 |
| 1957 | May 6 |
| 1958 | Apr 30 |
| 1959 | May 16 |
| 1960 | Apr 19 |
| 1961 | May 4 |
| 1962 | Apr 24 |
| 1963 | May 2 |
| 1964 | Apr 11 |
| 1965 | Apr 28 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | May 23 |
| 1968 | May 7 |
| 1969 | May 1 |
| 1970 | May 19 |
| 1971 | May 4 |
| 1972 | Apr 28 |
| 1973 | May 18 |
| 1974 | May 7 |
| 1975 | Apr 27 |
| 1976 | May 12 |
| 1977 | May 10 |
| 1978 | May 3 |
| 1979 | May 5 |
| 1980 | May 10 |
| 1981 | May 7 |
| 1982 | Apr 28 |
| 1983 | May 10 |
| 1984 | Apr 20 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | May 6 |
| 1988 | May 2 |
| 1989 | May 7 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 11 |
| 1992 | Apr 13 |
| 1993 | Apr 27 |
| 1994 | May 2 |
| 1995 | Apr 15 |
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1997 | Apr 26 |
| 1998 | Apr 11 |
| 1999 | Apr 25 |
| 2001 | Apr 29 |
| 2003 | Apr 27 |
| 2004 | May 4 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 27 |
| 2007 | Apr 10 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 12 |
| 2010 | Apr 28 |
| 2011 | May 5 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | Apr 26 |
| 2014 | Apr 16 |
| 2015 | Apr 27 |
| 2016 | May 16 |
| 2017 | Apr 8 |
| 2018 | Apr 30 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | May 12 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 20 |
| 2023 | Apr 27 |
| 2024 | Apr 25 |
| 2025 | Apr 17 |
| 2026 | May 3 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1953 | 169 |
| 1954 | 160 |
| 1957 | 144 |
| 1958 | 154 |
| 1959 | 124 |
| 1960 | 184 |
| 1961 | 147 |
| 1962 | 149 |
| 1963 | 145 |
| 1964 | 155 |
| 1965 | 158 |
| 1966 | 127 |
| 1967 | 122 |
| 1968 | 150 |
| 1969 | 166 |
| 1970 | 149 |
| 1971 | 160 |
| 1972 | 155 |
| 1973 | 153 |
| 1974 | 138 |
| 1975 | 139 |
| 1976 | 150 |
| 1977 | 156 |
| 1978 | 157 |
| 1979 | 160 |
| 1980 | 147 |
| 1981 | 148 |
| 1982 | 171 |
| 1983 | 136 |
| 1984 | 164 |
| 1985 | 174 |
| 1986 | 167 |
| 1987 | 150 |
| 1988 | 156 |
| 1989 | 149 |
| 1990 | 183 |
| 1991 | 179 |
| 1992 | 188 |
| 1993 | 166 |
| 1994 | 161 |
| 1995 | 160 |
| 1996 | 171 |
| 1997 | 177 |
| 1998 | 194 |
| 2001 | 160 |
| 2003 | 157 |
| 2004 | 187 |
| 2005 | 175 |
| 2007 | 201 |
| 2008 | 185 |
| 2009 | 188 |
| 2010 | 176 |
| 2011 | 175 |
| 2012 | 180 |
| 2013 | 179 |
| 2014 | 199 |
| 2015 | 172 |
| 2016 | 177 |
| 2017 | 200 |
| 2018 | 170 |
| 2019 | 199 |
| 2020 | 171 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 170 |
| 2023 | 178 |
| 2024 | 174 |
| 2025 | 190 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1953 | 19.6 °C |
| 1954 | 19.4 °C |
| 1956 | 18.1 °C |
| 1957 | 19.0 °C |
| 1958 | 18.1 °C |
| 1959 | 19.9 °C |
| 1960 | 19.0 °C |
| 1961 | 17.8 °C |
| 1962 | 18.5 °C |
| 1963 | 17.9 °C |
| 1964 | 18.9 °C |
| 1966 | 17.6 °C |
| 1967 | 17.6 °C |
| 1968 | 18.6 °C |
| 1969 | 18.0 °C |
| 1970 | 19.6 °C |
| 1971 | 18.0 °C |
| 1972 | 17.8 °C |
| 1973 | 18.3 °C |
| 1974 | 17.7 °C |
| 1975 | 17.7 °C |
| 1976 | 17.5 °C |
| 1977 | 19.8 °C |
| 1978 | 19.0 °C |
| 1979 | 18.1 °C |
| 1980 | 18.9 °C |
| 1981 | 18.5 °C |
| 1982 | 17.8 °C |
| 1983 | 19.1 °C |
| 1984 | 18.4 °C |
| 1985 | 19.2 °C |
| 1986 | 19.9 °C |
| 1987 | 20.1 °C |
| 1988 | 19.5 °C |
| 1989 | 18.3 °C |
| 1990 | 18.6 °C |
| 1991 | 20.8 °C |
| 1992 | 18.2 °C |
| 1993 | 19.6 °C |
| 1994 | 19.0 °C |
| 1995 | 19.4 °C |
| 1996 | 19.1 °C |
| 1997 | 17.9 °C |
| 1998 | 20.4 °C |
| 2001 | 19.3 °C |
| 2002 | 20.3 °C |
| 2003 | 19.0 °C |
| 2004 | 19.5 °C |
| 2006 | 19.4 °C |
| 2007 | 19.8 °C |
| 2009 | 19.0 °C |
| 2010 | 21.1 °C |
| 2011 | 20.3 °C |
| 2012 | 20.4 °C |
| 2013 | 19.7 °C |
| 2014 | 19.4 °C |
| 2016 | 20.8 °C |
| 2017 | 20.1 °C |
| 2018 | 20.8 °C |
| 2019 | 20.9 °C |
| 2020 | 19.4 °C |
| 2021 | 19.7 °C |
| 2022 | 19.5 °C |
| 2023 | 19.0 °C |
| 2024 | 20.7 °C |
| 2025 | 19.9 °C |
| 2026 | 20.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1953, Sunbury's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Westerville (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.