When to plant zucchini in Cincinnati: 13 May – 23 August

In Cincinnati, zucchini: sow for seedlings from 1 April to 2 August; plant into a greenhouse from 22 April to 23 August; plant out into open ground from 13 May to 23 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Gardens at the Village Green (garden centre, 4 km) and A J Rahn Greenhouses (garden centre, 6 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Zucchini in Cincinnati: soil, season and weather

In Cincinnati the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 11 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the zucchini card — only around 13 May, 32 days later.

Last spring frost	11 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	13 May, 32 days after the last frost
First autumn frost	9 November, 180 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	36
First harvest, if planted in this window	18 June – 28 September
Days left for picking	144
Daylight	13:29 on 22 April, 14:14 on 13 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, September, has 7 rainy days

The same dates in Cincinnati hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin and Watermelon.

Zucchini in Cincinnati: care after planting

Planted on 13 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Pests and diseases of zucchini to watch for:

Weather in Cincinnati during the zucchini season

About 643 mm of rain falls in the season; September is the driest month (75 mm) and May the wettest (125 mm).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	23.3	13	125	15	14:18
June	28.3	17.8	99	12	14:54
July	30.1	20.2	109	13	14:40
August	28.9	19.1	83	12	13:44
September	26.6	16.4	75	7	12:29
October	20.1	10.1	76	10	11:14
November	12	3	76	9	10:04

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Zucchini in nearby cities

Around Cincinnati, Louisville is 6 days earlier and Columbus 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Dayton	75 km	16 May – 23 August	3 days later
Frankfort	108 km	13 May – 17 August	same day
Lexington	127 km	15 May – 21 August	2 days later
Louisville	146 km	7 May – 25 August	6 days earlier
Indianapolis	159 km	16 May – 20 August	3 days later
Columbus	159 km	20 May – 16 August	7 days later

Where to buy zucchini plants and seeds near Cincinnati

Buy plants ready to set out from 13 May to 23 August (from 22 April to 23 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 1 April to 2 August. Within 15 km of Cincinnati OpenStreetMap lists 10 garden centres, 6 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Farmers Market — market
8 km
Lierer's Market — market
5 km
A J Rahn Greenhouses — garden centre
Gray Road 4944, 45232 · Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00; Sun 10:00–14:00 · 6 km · ajrahn.com
Gardens at the Village Green — garden centre
Knowlton Street 1415, 45223 Cincinnati · 4 km · villagegreenfoundation.org

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.

Questions