What Grows in Pleasant Plain, Ohio

USDA Zones 6b · 104 acres

Pleasant Plain, Ohio, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — 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 Pleasant Plain, 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 Pleasant Plain 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 Pleasant Plain — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Pleasant Plain — the short answer

Pleasant Plain, Ohio: USDA zone 6b, about 215 days between hard freezes, across 104 acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 3
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 4
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~215
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
104 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 Pleasant Plain's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Pleasant Plain's 215-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Pleasant Plain

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

Season length

Measured

Pleasant Plain runs about 215 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

Pleasant Plain 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 Pleasant Plain is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Pleasant Plain

Every plant below cleared Pleasant Plain's own zone 6b and its 215-day season. Each card opens that plant's Ohio profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in OhioZones 2–11Pleasant Plain's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Ohio hazelnut guideZones 4–9Pleasant Plain's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in OhioZones 5–8Pleasant Plain's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Ohio growing notesZones 2–11Pleasant Plain's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in OhioZones 5–8Pleasant Plain's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Ohio california poppy guideZones 6–10Pleasant Plain's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in OhioZones 2–10Pleasant Plain's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Ohio growing notesZones 3–8Pleasant Plain's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in OhioPleasant Plain's 215 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Ohio kale guideZones 2–11Pleasant Plain's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw in OhioZones 5–9Pleasant Plain's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Ohio growing notesZones 4–9Pleasant Plain's 215 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in OhioZones 2–11Pleasant Plain's 215 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Ohio okra guideZones 2–12Pleasant Plain's 215 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in OhioZones 2–11Pleasant Plain's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Ohio growing notesZones 3–10Pleasant Plain's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in OhioZones 2–11Pleasant Plain's 215 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Ohio lilac guideZones 4–10Pleasant Plain's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in OhioZones 3–8Pleasant Plain's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Ohio growing notesZones 3–8Pleasant Plain's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in OhioPleasant Plain's 215 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Ohio apache plume guideZones 5–11Pleasant Plain's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in OhioZones 3–9Pleasant Plain's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Ohio growing notesZones 6–8Pleasant Plain's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in OhioZones 3–9Pleasant Plain's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Ohio ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Pleasant Plain's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in OhioZones 2–7Pleasant Plain's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Ohio growing notesZones 4–10Pleasant Plain's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in OhioZones 2–10Pleasant Plain's 215 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Ohio indian grass guideZones 4–9Pleasant Plain's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Pleasant Plain?

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 6; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 3 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 4 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With a season this long, “too late” mostly means “switch crops” — second sowings and a full fall garden are the norm, with garlic closing the year.

Documented around Pleasant Plain

Spotted lanternfly documented 23 miles from Pleasant Plain, first recorded 2023. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Pleasant Plain

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

  1. PLEASANT PLAIN VILLAGE MARKETUnderground Storage Tanks · 450 ft
  2. THE HARTZ MOUNTAIN CORPToxics Release Inventory · 0.5 mi
  3. HARLAN TOWNSHIP FIRE DEPTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  4. JIMS TOWINGBrownfields · 2.0 mi
  5. WHITACRES STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.1 mi
  6. CEFALU & SON INCBrownfields · 2.5 mi
  7. VALLEY MACHINE TOOL INCBrownfields · 2.6 mi
  8. BP STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.2 mi
  9. PHIPPS AUTO PARTS & TOWINGBrownfields · 3.2 mi
  10. MILCHERTS MOBILE CONTRACT CLEANINGBrownfields · 3.3 mi
  11. J. P. CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.Underground Storage Tanks · 3.8 mi
  12. CLERMONT COUNTY SEWER DISTRICTUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.8 mi

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

Measured from Pleasant Plain'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 Pleasant Plain.

Total Sites

302

within ~10 miles of Pleasant Plain

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

4 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Pleasant Plain

High6Moderate85Low211

Highest-Severity Sites

Kings Island Pws
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Peters Cartridge Factory
Superfund · Superfund NPL
3180 Montgomery Loveland LLC
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
5591 State Route 741 Mason LLC
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Advics Manufacturing of Ohio INC
Toxics Release Inventory · 45036lcssm1650k

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Pleasant Plain, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Pleasant Plain — PFAS (7 sites) and Superfund (4 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

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

Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.

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

Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Pleasant Plain

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 Pleasant Plain average

Your land is one point inside Pleasant Plain

Everything above resolves to Pleasant Plain as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 104 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 Pleasant Plain Average

Pleasant Plain Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Pleasant Plain
  • One soil character for all of Pleasant Plain
  • Frost dates read at Pleasant Plain's scale: Apr 3 to Nov 4

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Pleasant Plain

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Pleasant Plain averages 215Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Pleasant Plain

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 Pleasant Plain’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 Pleasant Plain

When does frost risk typically end in Pleasant Plain?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Pleasant Plain typically lands around Apr 3, 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 Apr 24.

When is the first frost in Pleasant Plain?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Pleasant Plain typically arrives around Nov 4, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 21, so the watching starts about Oct 5 — about 215 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Pleasant Plain?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Pleasant Plain sees about 215 frost-free days — roughly Apr 3 through Nov 4, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 24 to Oct 21, about 180 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Pleasant Plain?

The federal record around Pleasant Plain is a meaningful one — 302 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (180), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile 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 Pleasant Plain?

From about Oct 5 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 4 (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 4. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Pleasant Plain's scale — its 6b band and its 215-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Pleasant Plain'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 Pleasant Plain’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Pleasant Plain's own scale — its own ~215-day season between 28°F freezes, the 104 acres it covers and 302 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Pleasant Plain's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Pleasant Plain's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 3 and Nov 4 and the ~215-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 302 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Pleasant Plain, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Pleasant Plain's boundary and the 104 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~215-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Pleasant Plain's own centroid, the Eastern Corn Belt PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Pleasant Plainlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Pleasant Plain's 104 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Warren County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Warren 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 Warren County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Pleasant Plain's 104 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Pleasant Plain you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 104 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile 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 Pleasant Plain-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Ohio

Wider growing context

What grows across Ohio

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