What Grows in Pettisville, Ohio

USDA Zones 6a · 609 acres

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

These conditions suit cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens — a starting list any specific site will trim or extend with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Pettisville — the short answer

Pettisville, Ohio: USDA zone 6a, about 196 days between hard freezes, across 609 acres of town.

USDA zone
6a
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 29
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~196
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
609 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 Pettisville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Pettisville's 196-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Pettisville

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

Season length

Measured

Pettisville runs about 196 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

Pettisville 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 Pettisville is in

Pettisville sits in the Huron/Erie Lake Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Pettisville's own centroid rather than borrowed from Fulton County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Pettisville

Every plant below cleared Pettisville's own zone 6a and its 196-day season. Each card opens that plant's Ohio profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in OhioZones 2–11Pettisville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Ohio hazelnut guideZones 4–9Pettisville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in OhioZones 5–8Pettisville's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Ohio growing notesZones 2–11Pettisville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Growing blueberry in OhioZones 3–8Pettisville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Ohio california poppy guideZones 6–10Pettisville's 6a is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in OhioZones 2–10Pettisville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Blackberry: Ohio growing notesZones 5–8Pettisville's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in OhioZones 3–8Pettisville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Ohio kale guideZones 2–11Pettisville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Cranberry in OhioZones 2–7Pettisville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Turkish rocket: Ohio growing notesPettisville's 196 days clear the ~90 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in OhioZones 2–11Pettisville's 196 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Ohio okra guideZones 2–12Pettisville's 196 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in OhioZones 2–11Pettisville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Ohio growing notesZones 3–8Pettisville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in OhioZones 2–11Pettisville's 196 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Ohio azalea guideZones 4–8Pettisville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in OhioZones 3–8Pettisville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Ohio growing notesZones 3–10Pettisville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in OhioPettisville's 196 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Ohio lilac guideZones 4–10Pettisville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in OhioZones 3–8Pettisville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Ohio growing notesZones 6–8Pettisville's 6a is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in OhioZones 3–9Pettisville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Ohio ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Pettisville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in OhioZones 2–7Pettisville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Ohio growing notesZones 4–10Pettisville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in OhioZones 2–10Pettisville's 196 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Ohio canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Pettisville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Pettisville?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. 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 29 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. The tail of the season still works: sixty-day crops into late summer, quick greens after, garlic last of all.

Documented around Pettisville

Spotted lanternfly documented 30 miles from Pettisville, first recorded 2023. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Pettisville

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

  1. PETTISVILLE GARAGEBrownfields · 1300 ft
  2. SWANTON WELDING HEAVY FABBrownfields · 1.1 mi
  3. BO-DEC INCToxics Release Inventory · 2.3 mi
  4. SCHROEDER FARMSUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.6 mi
  5. Ryder Transportation Svcs #1680CUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  6. NAFAB INCORPORATEDBrownfields · 3.7 mi
  7. KURDZIEL INDUSTRIES OF WAUSEONToxics Release Inventory · 3.8 mi
  8. BRITT INDUSTRIES, INCToxics Release Inventory · 3.8 mi
  9. FYPON, LTDBrownfields · 3.8 mi
  10. FYPON, LTDToxics Release Inventory · 3.8 mi
  11. TOLEDO EDISON CO WESTERN DIST SER CNTBrownfields · 3.8 mi
  12. TOLEDO EDISON WESTERN DISTRICTUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.8 mi

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

Measured from Pettisville'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 Pettisville.

Total Sites

200

within ~10 miles of Pettisville

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

30 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Pettisville

High2Moderate61Low137

Highest-Severity Sites

Delta Village
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Wauseon City
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
086 Archbold Marathon
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
A.R.S.
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Archbold Container Corp
Toxics Release Inventory · 43502rchbl8wbar

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Pettisville, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Pettisville — Toxics Release Inventory (30 sites) and PFAS (3 sites). 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.

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

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Pettisville

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 Pettisville average

Your land is one point inside Pettisville

Everything above resolves to Pettisville as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 609 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 Pettisville Average

Pettisville Average

  • USDA Zones 6a, averaged across Pettisville
  • One soil character for all of Pettisville
  • Frost dates read at Pettisville's scale: Apr 16 to Oct 29

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Pettisville

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Pettisville averages 196Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Pettisville

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 Pettisville’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 Pettisville

When does frost risk typically end in Pettisville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Pettisville 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 Pettisville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Pettisville typically arrives around Oct 29, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 15, so the watching starts about Sep 29 — about 196 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Pettisville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Pettisville sees about 196 frost-free days — roughly Apr 16 through Oct 29, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 7 to Oct 15, about 161 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Pettisville?

The federal record around Pettisville is a meaningful one — 200 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (96), the nearest Brownfields record about 0.3 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 Pettisville?

From about Sep 29 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 29 (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 29. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Pettisville's scale — its 6a band and its 196-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Pettisville'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 Pettisville’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Pettisville's own scale — its own ~196-day season between 28°F freezes, the 609 acres it covers and 200 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Pettisville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Pettisville's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 16 and Oct 29 and the ~196-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 200 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Pettisville, the closest Brownfields record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Pettisville's boundary and the 609 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6a and a ~196-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Pettisville's own centroid, the Huron/Erie Lake PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Pettisvillelydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Pettisville's 609 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Fulton County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Fulton 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 Fulton County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Pettisville's 609 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Pettisville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 609 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields record about 0.3 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 Pettisville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Ohio

Wider growing context

What grows across Ohio

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