When to plant · 31 cities · zones 6a–7a

When to plant carrots in Ohio

Direct sow nantes carrot around Apr 10 — the Ohio statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 24 across 1,178 ZIP codes and 140 NOAA stations.

Apr 10Direct sowApr 3 – Apr 17 across the state
Apr 24Last spring frostmedian · 1 in 10 years after May 10
Jun 19First harvest70 days from sow

The rule: Direct sow two weeks before the last frost and keep the top half-inch of soil damp for the 14–21 days it takes to germinate.

Ohio carrots, by step

Statewide median last frost Apr 24, first fall frost Oct 22, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.

CultivarStart indoorsSowFirst harvestDays
Nantes CarrotScarlet NantesDirect sowApr 10Jun 1970 from sow

Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station Ohio's ZIP codes resolve to.

Carrots in Ohio, city by city

Nantes Carrot, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.

CityLast frostSowFirst harvest
Columbuszone 6bApr 20Apr 6Jun 15
Clevelandzone 7aApr 8Mar 25Jun 3
Cincinnatizone 6bApr 16Apr 2Jun 11
Toledozone 6bApr 20Apr 6Jun 15
Akronzone 6bApr 24Apr 10Jun 19
Daytonzone 6bApr 18Apr 4Jun 13
Parmazone 6bApr 20Apr 6Jun 15
Cantonzone 6bApr 24Apr 10Jun 19
Lorainzone 6bApr 24Apr 10Jun 19
Hamiltonzone 6bApr 22Apr 8Jun 17
Youngstownzone 6aMay 1Apr 17Jun 26
Springfieldzone 6aApr 25Apr 11Jun 20
Ketteringzone 6bApr 18Apr 4Jun 13
Elyriazone 6bApr 24Apr 10Jun 19
Middletownzone 6bApr 24Apr 10Jun 19
Newarkzone 6aApr 29Apr 15Jun 24
Cuyahoga Fallszone 6bApr 24Apr 10Jun 19
Lakewoodzone 7aApr 20Apr 6Jun 15
Dublinzone 6bApr 22Apr 8Jun 17
Euclidzone 7aApr 8Mar 25Jun 3
Beavercreekzone 6bApr 18Apr 4Jun 13
Mansfieldzone 6aApr 26Apr 12Jun 21
Mentorzone 7aApr 26Apr 12Jun 21
Delawarezone 6bApr 19Apr 5Jun 14
Strongsvillezone 6bApr 20Apr 6Jun 15
Fairfieldzone 6bApr 19Apr 5Jun 14
Cleveland Heightszone 6bApr 8Mar 25Jun 3
Grove Cityzone 6bApr 23Apr 9Jun 18
Huber Heightszone 6bApr 16Apr 2Jun 11
Reynoldsburgzone 6bApr 18Apr 4Jun 13
Lancasterzone 6aApr 22Apr 8Jun 17

What Ohio carrots need

SeedsThe cultivar decides the sauce. Everything downstream is damage control.
  • Scarlet Nantes Carrot Seed

    The carrot that makes a fermented habanero sauce work. It brings sweetness and body so the sauce has texture without thickener and heat without being one-dimensional.

StartSoil temperature and light intensity, indoors, weeks before your frost date.
  • Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have

    Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.

GrowRoot volume, nutrition and structure. Where most home crops actually fail.
  • Ocean Forest Potting SoilMust have

    Pre-charged with enough nutrition to carry a transplant for its first month without feeding, which is exactly the window when most container plants stall.

  • 5-Gallon Fabric Grow Bags, 5-Pack

    Fabric pots air-prune roots and drain faster than a plastic pot can, which is the entire reason container tomatoes fail. Five gallons is the honest minimum for a pepper; a tomato wants ten.

  • Rapitest Soil Test Kit

    In-ground growers are guessing until they test. pH outside 6.0–6.8 locks nutrients out no matter how much fertiliser you add, and no amount of feeding fixes that.

  • 3-in-1 Soil Moisture / Light / pH Tester

    Used for one thing — is the root zone actually dry six inches down — it prevents both halves of the most common container failure. Ignore the pH scale on it entirely.

HarvestTiming, handling, and weighing what you actually got.
  • Garden Harvest Basket with Tool Caddy

    A harvest basket that doubles as a colander means the hose rinse happens in the garden, and the dirt stays outside. On a 20-pound tomato day that is a genuine time saving.

Paid links. We earn a commission from Amazon if you buy; you pay the same. Disclosure.

Carrots in Ohio: questions

When should I plant carrots in Ohio?

Direct sow around Apr 10 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Apr 3 in the warmest tenth of Ohio's ZIP codes to Apr 17 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 10 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.

When is the last frost in Ohio?

The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 24. In the warmest tenth of Ohio's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 17; in the coldest tenth, on or after May 1.

When will Ohio carrots be ready to harvest?

Nantes Carrot planted on the statewide date is ready around Jun 19: 70 days from sow.

More for Ohio

Carrots in every state → · Ohio frost dates → · How frost-date math works →