Last and first frost dates in Columbus

When is the last frost in Columbus?

The last frost in Columbus usually comes around 22 April: that is the median of 2016–2025, so in about half of those years the last night at or below 0 °C came later. Hardy crops start before it and frost-tender ones only after it: in the table below arugula can go into open ground from 1 April, while corn waits until 29 April. The first autumn frost follows around 2 November, about 194 days later: harvest or cover frost-tender crops before then.

When to sow and plant

Planting out: a week after the last frost once the soil is warm enough for the crop; frost-hardy crops three weeks before it; an unheated greenhouse three weeks earlier. Seedlings are sown so they are ready on that day. Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

What planting zone is Columbus?

The official USDA map (2023, 1991–2020 data) puts the centre of Columbus (ZIP 43215) in zone 6b. Zone 6b stands for an average coldest night of -5 to 0 °F (-20.6 to -17.8 °C), so perennials hardy to zone 6b or a colder zone should come through a typical winter here.

Check the official USDA map for Columbus: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

When the soil warms up in Columbus

The day the top 7 cm of soil first averages each temperature over a week, median of 2016–2025 (ERA5 via Open-Meteo). The soil reaches 10 °C 28 days before the last spring frost and 15 °C 12 days after it.

Frost dates near Columbus

Of the nearest cities on our list, the last spring frost ends earliest in Cleveland (9 April) and latest in Toledo (United States) (22 April).

Seeds, seedlings and markets in Columbus

Within 15 km of Columbus OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 9 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026). The nearest garden centre to the city centre is Strader's, 5 km away.

• Strader's — garden centre
  King Avenue 1354 · 5 km
• The Pearl Market — market
  May–Oct: Tue, Fri 10:30–14:00 · 0 km · pearlmarket.org
• Mini Super — farm shop
  Spruce Street 59, 43215 Columbus · Sun, Mon 10:00–17:00; Tue–Sat 09:00–19:00 · 1 km
• Oakland Nursery — garden centre
  Oakland Park Avenue 1156, 43224 Columbus · Sun 08:00–18:00; Mon–Sat 09:00–20:00 · 8 km
• North Market — market
  Spruce Street 59, 43215 Columbus · Sun, Mon 10:00–17:00; Tue–Sat 09:00–19:00 · 1 km · northmarket.com
• Witten Farm Market — farm shop
  Agler Road 380, 43230 Gahanna · 11 km · wittenfarm.com

• Where to buy seeds and seedlings in Columbus
• Selling your own harvest in the United States

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Weather in Columbus by month

Average weather in Columbus over 2016–2025: the warmest month is July. Months that average 20 °C or more by day: May–September (22.6–29.4 °C). Nights average below 0 °C in January (-4.8 °C), February (-2.8 °C) and December (-2 °C). About 1217 mm of rain falls in a year, on 141 days; July is the wettest month (128 mm) and September the driest (78 mm).

Average of the daily highs and lows, rain per month and days with at least 1 mm (ERA5 via Open-Meteo, the same grid cell as the frost dates).

Planted in autumn

From a month before the first autumn frost, so the roots grow before winter, to the late-planting limit on each crop’s page (about two weeks before the ground freezes, by ten years of weather).