What Grows in Kettlersville, Ohio

USDA Zones 6a · 659 acres

Kettlersville, Ohio, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

A short list that earns its place here — cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens — with any one site's soil, sun, and drainage making the final cut.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Kettlersville, 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 Kettlersville 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 Kettlersville — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Kettlersville — the short answer

Kettlersville, Ohio: USDA zone 6a, about 205 days between hard freezes, across 659 acres of town.

USDA zone
6a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 10
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 1
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~205
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
659 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

6a6a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 6a is Kettlersville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Kettlersville's 205-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Kettlersville

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

Season length

Measured

Kettlersville runs about 205 days between hard freezes — a long growing season.

There is slack for succession plantings and slow-finishing crops: many vegetables can be sown twice, and the heat-lovers have time to ripen fully.

Plan a second sowing of quick crops after the first comes out, and use the fall window most gardeners let sit idle.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Kettlersville sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a.

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 Kettlersville is in

Kettlersville sits in the Eastern Corn Belt Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Kettlersville's own centroid rather than borrowed from Shelby County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Kettlersville

Every plant below cleared Kettlersville's own zone 6a and its 205-day season. Each card opens that plant's Ohio profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in OhioZones 2–11Kettlersville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Ohio hazelnut guideZones 4–9Kettlersville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in OhioZones 5–8Kettlersville's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Ohio growing notesZones 2–11Kettlersville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Growing blueberry in OhioZones 3–8Kettlersville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Ohio california poppy guideZones 6–10Kettlersville's 6a is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in OhioZones 2–10Kettlersville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Blackberry: Ohio growing notesZones 5–8Kettlersville's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in OhioZones 3–8Kettlersville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Ohio kale guideZones 2–11Kettlersville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Cranberry in OhioZones 2–7Kettlersville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Turkish rocket: Ohio growing notesKettlersville's 205 days clear the ~90 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in OhioZones 2–11Kettlersville's 205 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Ohio okra guideZones 2–12Kettlersville's 205 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in OhioZones 2–11Kettlersville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Ohio growing notesZones 3–8Kettlersville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in OhioZones 2–11Kettlersville's 205 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Ohio azalea guideZones 4–8Kettlersville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in OhioZones 3–8Kettlersville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Ohio growing notesZones 3–10Kettlersville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in OhioKettlersville's 205 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Ohio lilac guideZones 4–10Kettlersville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in OhioZones 3–8Kettlersville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Ohio growing notesZones 6–8Kettlersville's 6a is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in OhioZones 3–9Kettlersville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Ohio ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Kettlersville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in OhioZones 2–7Kettlersville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Ohio growing notesZones 4–10Kettlersville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in OhioZones 2–10Kettlersville's 205 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Ohio canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Kettlersville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Kettlersville?

Too late for some crops, right on time for others — a growing season is a sequence, not a deadline. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 13; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 10 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 1 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the season winds down slowly: late sowings, a real autumn harvest, and garlic in the ground before the first hard freeze.

Documented around Kettlersville

Survey cells within 31 miles of Kettlersville checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 41 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Kettlersville

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

  1. LES HELMLINGERUnderground Storage Tanks · 2200 ft
  2. ROETTGER HARDWOOD INCToxics Release Inventory · 0.6 mi
  3. ODOT DISTRIC 7Underground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  4. LARGER BROS TRANSPORTBrownfields · 2.9 mi
  5. BUCKEYE DRIVE THRU & PIZZAUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.9 mi
  6. HONDA - ANNA ENGINE PLANTPFAS · 3.1 mi
  7. MCCARTYVILLE CUSTOM BODY SHOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.7 mi
  8. LOT-RIDGE RUBBER CO.Underground Storage Tanks · 4.0 mi
  9. AT&TUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.1 mi
  10. GULFUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.2 mi
  11. CIRCLE K #5681 (SHELL)Underground Storage Tanks · 4.2 mi
  12. PROVICO TRANSPORTATION, INC.Underground Storage Tanks · 4.2 mi

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

Measured from Kettlersville'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 Kettlersville.

Total Sites

207

within ~10 miles of Kettlersville

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

32 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Kettlersville

High2Moderate65Low140

Highest-Severity Sites

Honda - Anna Engine Plant
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Anna Truckstop
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Casey'S General Store
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Circle K #5681 (Shell)
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Ernst Bp
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Kettlersville, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 32 sites within ~10 miles of Kettlersville. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around 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.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Kettlersville

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 Kettlersville average

Your land is one point inside Kettlersville

Everything above resolves to Kettlersville as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 659 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 Kettlersville Average

Kettlersville Average

  • USDA Zones 6a, averaged across Kettlersville
  • One soil character for all of Kettlersville
  • Frost dates read at Kettlersville's scale: Apr 10 to Nov 1

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Kettlersville

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Kettlersville averages 205Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Kettlersville

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 Kettlersville’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 Kettlersville

When does frost risk typically end in Kettlersville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Kettlersville typically lands around Apr 10, 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 1.

When is the first frost in Kettlersville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Kettlersville typically arrives around Nov 1, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 18, so the watching starts about Oct 2 — about 205 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Kettlersville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Kettlersville sees about 205 frost-free days — roughly Apr 10 through Nov 1, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 1 to Oct 18, about 170 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Kettlersville?

The federal record around Kettlersville is a meaningful one — 207 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (93), 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 Kettlersville?

From about Oct 2 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 Nov 1 (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 Nov 1. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Kettlersville's scale — its 6a band and its 205-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Kettlersville'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 Kettlersville’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Kettlersville's own scale — its own ~205-day season between 28°F freezes, the 659 acres it covers and 207 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Kettlersville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Kettlersville's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 10 and Nov 1 and the ~205-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 207 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Kettlersville, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Kettlersville's boundary and the 659 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6a and a ~205-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Kettlersville's own centroid, the Eastern Corn Belt PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Kettlersville 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 Kettlersville's 659 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Shelby County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Shelby 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 Shelby County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Kettlersville's 659 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Kettlersville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 659 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 Kettlersville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Ohio

Wider growing context

What grows across Ohio

Kettlersville sits outside our named growing regions, so Ohio as a whole is its closest context here.