Yes — Strong Match
horse gram is grown as an annual, so season length decides it here, not a winter zone — and Ohio's typical season runs ~208 frost-free days against the ~40 horse gram needs.
Sow by about Jul 7
Horse Gram is grown as an annual, so what decides it here is season length, not a winter zone. It needs about 40 frost-free days and a typical Ohio season runs ~208 frost-free days, leaving 168 days of slack. That is room to sow as late as about Jul 7 and still finish before the usual first freeze (Nov 4), or to run a second succession.
Want more weeks at either end of that window? How to buy the weeks →
40 frost-free days required against Ohio’s ~208-day season. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS 1991-2020 (28°F killing freeze), state median across counties, via stateClimateData.ts.
Horse Gram in Ohio — the short answer
Horse Gram in Ohio: grown in zones 8–12, full sun, against a state median of ~208 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 8-12
- Not verified
- Ohio zones
- 5b-7a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 5 - Apr 13 – Oct 31 - Nov 6
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 182 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 120 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Ohio spans zones 5b-7a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score horse gram against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
Ohio is not one climate
A single Ohio answer averages 88 counties whose growing seasons are 57 days apart — from 182 frost-free days in Columbiana County to 239 in Cuyahoga County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what horse gram can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 88 counties runs 201–214 days, with a median of 208 days — a 57-day span end to end.
Measured across 88 Ohio counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Zone Comparison
Horse Gram Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-12
- Frost-Free Days: 40+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 2 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Picking window: ~14 days of harvestWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: High
Ohio Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-7a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 5 - Apr 13
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 31 - Nov 6
- Annual Rainfall: 34-42 inches
- Common Soils: Glacial till, Clay loam, Silt loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-12)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Horse Gram in Ohio
The frost window
Across Ohio, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 5 and Apr 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 31 and Nov 6 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 201-day window you can count on — up to 215 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
When to start the seed
Horse Gram is direct-sown where it grows rather than started under cover, so there is no seed-tray head start to bank — Ohio's dates above are the whole calendar for it. That makes the last-freeze date the binding constraint, and a warmer pocket of your own yard is worth more to this crop than it is to a transplanted one.
Winter standing
Ohio runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for horse gram, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether horse gram is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Ohio; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Geauga County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
Frost-free days
Horse Gram wants 40+ frost-free days; a typical Ohio site sees ~208 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Horse Gram needs ~2500 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~2921 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Ohio sits right at the threshold — pay attention to siting and microclimate.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Horse Gram tolerates a wide pH range (pH 5-8) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Ohio. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Ohio soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Ohio site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 28.6% of Ohio as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Horse Gram tolerates drought well, so wet feet — not dry spells — is its real risk here — your soil map unit, not the state average, is the real answer.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Ohio soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant horse gram for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before horse gram goes in. What follows is Ohio’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Ohio — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Ohio — 31,559 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 669 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Ohio carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds of imported, lab-tested soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Ohio
Severity Distribution
across Ohio
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Ohio, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 4,234 sites across Ohio. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.
Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.
Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Horse Gram in Ohio
The zone range tells you where horse gram is grown — but Ohio growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils across much of northern Ohio require amendment for drainage
Variable spring weather with late frost risk through mid-May
Japanese beetles and tomato hornworms are common garden pests
Wet springs can delay planting and promote root rot
Growing horse gram here specifically
Horse Gram roots run medium and prefer pH 5.0–8.0, but drainage comes first here: SSURGO maps about 28.6% of Ohio as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and wet ground rots its crown before pH ever matters.
Plant horse gram on a raised, gravel-amended berm so water drains fast and the crown stays dry. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Ohio grower, not just horse gram — is covered on the Ohio growing guide.
Timing shifts within Ohio
Ohio isn't one climate. In Geauga County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 22 — roughly 13 days later than the recorded state median — so plant horse gram to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Horse Gram needs about 40 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Columbiana County — Ohio’s shortest season at 182 frost-free days — clears that by 142 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Ohio. What varies is your own parcel.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Horse Gram's 40-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Horse Gram draws honeybees (low value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, horse gram can only work that bloom inside Ohio's frost window — roughly 208 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 5 - Apr 13) and closing at the first (Oct 31 - Nov 6), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Ohio Cooperative Extension
For Ohio-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for horse gram, the canonical source is Ohio State University Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Horse Gram in Ohio
When can I plant Horse Gram in Ohio?
Ohio's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 5 and Apr 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 31 and Nov 6 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Horse Gram, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Ohio and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Horse Gram grown in across Ohio?
Ohio spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Horse Gram carries a range of zones 8-12, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Ohio site have?
A typical Ohio site sees ~208 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Horse Gram needs 40+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Geauga, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
How should I amend the soil for Horse Gram in Ohio?
Horse Gram tolerates pH 5-8 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Ohio site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Horse Gram actually grow on my specific land in Ohio?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores horse gram against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Ohio
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores horse gram against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Ohio horse gram averages can't show:
We read public map data around Ohio — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Ohio horse gram average
Explore More
Growing guides for horse gram
Explore Ohio county by county
Ohio carries 88 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for horse gram there:
Where else horse gram grows
Horse Gram's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Ohio in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Ohio
Ohio has a growing page for 889 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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