Dayton, OH · zone 6a · ~190 frost-free days
When to plant in Dayton: frost dates and zone 6a.
In Dayton, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 18 and the first fall frost around Oct 25, giving you about 190 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Dayton, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 14 to May 14 | Apr 25 to Jun 25 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 11 to Apr 25 | Aug 11 to Oct 10 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 11 to Apr 13 | Jul 30 to Aug 25 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 18 to Jun 8 | Jul 11 to Aug 13 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 25 to Jul 25 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 23 to May 14 | May 4 to Jun 25 | — |
| Kale | Jan 28 to Feb 25 | Mar 11 to Apr 8 | Jul 25 to Sep 9 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 25 to Apr 8 | Aug 11 to Sep 29 |
Dayton sits in Zone 6a, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Dayton garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 45402 in about 60 seconds.
Dayton planting questions
What planting zone is Dayton, OH?+
Dayton is in USDA hardiness zone 6a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 6a here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Dayton?+
The typical last spring frost in Dayton, OH is around Apr 18. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Dayton?+
The typical first fall frost in Dayton, OH arrives around Oct 25, closing a growing season of roughly 190 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Dayton?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Apr 18. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.