When Frost Danger Passes In Lakewood, Making Gardening Safe

LAKEWOOD, OH — The right time to start planting seeds outside varies by year, and even more so by region. But an Old Farmer’s Almanac tool can help gardeners in Lakewood plan ahead by finding the typical date of the final spring frost.

The average final spring frost date in Lakewood was Thursday. This opens up a 178-day growing season, as the typical first frost date in the fall is Oct. 24.

There’s a 30 percent probability of frost occurring after May 1, as the date is determined using National Oceanic and Atmospheric historical data from 1981-2010, and is not “set in stone,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac said.

April 29 represents the average date of the final “light freeze” in Lakewood. A “light freeze,” according to the almanac, occurs when the temperature dips between 29 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point tender plants can be killed. A “moderate freeze,” between 25 and 28 degrees, is destructive to most vegetation, and a “severe freeze” at anything under 24 degrees can do heavy damage to most garden plants, according to the almanac.

As the pandemic’s second gardening season gets underway in Lakewood, the Old Farmer's Almanac has another tool to help gardeners decide when to plant which crops.

In Lakewood, the tool shows it’s usually best to start planting corn before May 14, potatoes before May 14 and okra should be started between May 14 and May 28.