What Grows in Dennison, Ohio

USDA Zones 6b · 866 acres

Dennison, Ohio, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — enough range to grow cool-season vegetables, hardy fruit, and warm-season crops that mature before the first hard frost.

Reliable performers under these conditions include cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Dennison, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Dennison lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Dennison — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Dennison — the short answer

Dennison, Ohio: USDA zone 6b, about 197 days between hard freezes, across 866 acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 16
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 30
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~197
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
866 acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are this town’s own 28°F normals: light frosts run a few weeks past them, and tender transplants usually wait 2–3 weeks after the last hard freeze.

Hardiness Zone Range

6b6b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 6b is Dennison's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Dennison's 197-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Dennison

Each reading below is measured for Dennison itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

Measured

Dennison runs about 197 days between hard freezes — a moderate growing season.

There is room for the full run of cool-season crops plus a warm-season main crop, but the calendar is tight enough that a late spring or early fall frost still decides how much finishes.

Time warm-season transplants to your last hard freeze, and a few weeks of season extension turns a near-miss harvest into a sure one.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Dennison sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Dennison is in

Dennison sits in the Western Allegheny Plateau — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Dennison's own centroid rather than borrowed from Tuscarawas County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Dennison

Every plant below cleared Dennison's own zone 6b and its 197-day season. Each card opens that plant's Ohio profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in OhioZones 2–11Dennison's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Ohio hazelnut guideZones 4–9Dennison's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in OhioZones 5–8Dennison's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Ohio growing notesZones 2–11Dennison's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in OhioZones 5–8Dennison's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Ohio california poppy guideZones 6–10Dennison's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in OhioZones 2–10Dennison's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw: Ohio growing notesZones 5–9Dennison's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in OhioDennison's 197 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Ohio kale guideZones 2–11Dennison's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan in OhioZones 5–9Dennison's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Ohio growing notesZones 4–9Dennison's 197 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in OhioZones 2–11Dennison's 197 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Ohio okra guideZones 2–12Dennison's 197 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in OhioZones 2–11Dennison's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Ohio growing notesZones 3–10Dennison's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in OhioZones 2–11Dennison's 197 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Ohio lilac guideZones 4–10Dennison's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in OhioZones 3–8Dennison's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Ohio growing notesZones 3–8Dennison's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in OhioDennison's 197 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Oregon grape, photograph
Ohio oregon grape guideZones 5–8Dennison's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in OhioZones 3–9Dennison's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Ohio growing notesZones 6–8Dennison's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in OhioZones 3–9Dennison's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Ohio ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Dennison's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in OhioZones 2–7Dennison's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Ohio growing notesZones 4–10Dennison's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in OhioZones 2–10Dennison's 197 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Ohio indian grass guideZones 4–9Dennison's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Dennison?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 19; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 16 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 30 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Even past midsummer there is room for a true fall garden here, and garlic planted near the close carries the momentum into next year.

Documented around Dennison

Survey cells within 31 miles of Dennison checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 33 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Dennison

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Dennison. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. HARCATUS INC.Underground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  2. ORPHANED TANKSUnderground Storage Tanks · 2200 ft
  3. FURNITURE WAREHOUSEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2200 ft
  4. RESIDENTIALUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  5. DENNISON INDUSTRIAL PARKUnderground Storage Tanks · 2500 ft
  6. PARK SUNOCOUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  7. TWIN CITY HOSPITALBrownfields · 0.5 mi
  8. BP OIL CO #08291Underground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  9. CARMEN CIVIELLOUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  10. CVS PHARMACY #10961Brownfields · 0.6 mi
  11. BODY SHOP (FORMER CITY AUTO SHOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  12. CERTIFIED OIL CO STATION NO 118Brownfields · 0.7 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Dennison's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Dennison.

Total Sites

260

within ~10 miles of Dennison

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

3 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Dennison

High1Moderate64Low195

Highest-Severity Sites

Alsco Anaconda
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Aleris Rolled Products INC
Toxics Release Inventory · 44683NWPRTCOUNT
Alsco Anaconda
Toxics Release Inventory · 44629lscxxone1a
Bowers Battery
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)
Brewster Bellstores
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Dennison, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Dennison — PFAS (3 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (20 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Dennison

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Dennison average

Your land is one point inside Dennison

Everything above resolves to Dennison as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 866 acres. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Dennison Average

Dennison Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Dennison
  • One soil character for all of Dennison
  • Frost dates read at Dennison's scale: Apr 16 to Oct 30

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Dennison's 6b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Dennison

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Dennison, Ohio — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Dennison averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Dennison averages 197Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Dennison — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Dennison average

How we know this about Dennison

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Dennison’s own record; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Dennison

When does frost risk typically end in Dennison?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Dennison typically lands around Apr 16, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about May 7.

When is the first frost in Dennison?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Dennison typically arrives around Oct 30, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 16, so the watching starts about Sep 30 — about 197 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Dennison?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Dennison sees about 197 frost-free days — roughly Apr 16 through Oct 30, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 7 to Oct 16, about 162 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Dennison?

The federal record around Dennison is a meaningful one — 260 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (159), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Dennison?

From about Sep 30 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Oct 30 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Oct 30. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Dennison's scale — its 6b band and its 197-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Dennison's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Dennison’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Dennison's own scale — its own ~197-day season between 28°F freezes, the 866 acres it covers and 260 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Dennison's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Dennison's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 16 and Oct 30 and the ~197-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 260 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Dennison, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Dennison's boundary and the 866 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~197-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Dennison's own centroid, the Western Allegheny PlateauUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Dennison checked, none carrying a detectionlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Dennison's 866 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Tuscarawas County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Tuscarawas County
  • The growing challenges every Ohio grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Ohio
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Tuscarawas County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Dennison's 866 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Dennison you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 866 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Dennison-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address