Fruit Trees for Ohio

These are the cold hardy fruit trees, berries and vines that grow in Ohio, picked against real winter lows, not an average. Across the 2 areas we've mapped in Ohio, the cold to plan for runs from −11°F on the warmest ground around Cleveland, Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley to −27°F in its cold pockets. That's only part of Ohio so far. Anywhere else in the state, the cold hardiness calculator gives you the number for your address. Pick your area below and the list trims itself to what has come through that cold. Everything here ships bare root in spring 2027.

What fruit trees grow in Ohio?

The best fruit trees for Ohio are the ones that have already lived through the cold your spot gets. On typical Ohio ground (−18°F, the middle of our mapped areas), 253 of the plants we're selling for spring 2027 have come through that cold: apples like Honeycrisp, Prairie Sensation, Frostbite and Haralson; pears like Larinskaya, Krazulya and Bartlett; plums like Italian, Tipson and Native American plum; tart and bush cherries like Montmorency, Romeo and Juliet; apricots like Westcot and Manchurian. Berry bushes are the safest bet anywhere in the state.

Peaches fit most of the ground we've mapped in Ohio. Contender peach (−30°F), Siberian C peach (−35°F) and Blushingstar peach (−30°F) have come through colder than most of the Ohio ground we've mapped, which plans for −18°F. Plant them up on a bench or slope, never the low spot, since bloom frost is the bigger risk.

For your exact address, the cold hardiness calculator gives you the number to plan for and every plant we grow that has survived it.

Ohio growing zones for fruit trees

Most of the ground we've mapped in Ohio falls in MFTC zone 5, with the warmest spots in zone 5b (−11°F) and the coldest bottoms down in zone 4a (−27°F). That's colder than USDA's map, and it's on purpose: USDA's zone comes from an average winter's coldest night, ours from the bad winter a tree has to live through. Every plant we sell is zoned to the coldest temperature it has actually survived. Here's each area we've mapped, with the planning low for most of its ground and the range from its warmest benches to its coldest bottoms.

Shopping by zone instead? Start with our zone 4 fruit trees and zone 5 fruit trees. A few spots on each map run a zone colder than the town next door, and that's what the maps are for.

Cleveland, Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley. In the February 2015 cold snap the Chardon station read −29°F while Burke Lakefront, on the shore in downtown Cleveland, read −7°F. Around Cleveland and Akron, the lake, the escarpment and the river valleys decide what a cold night does at your place.

See every Ohio map on our Ohio microclimate maps page.

Native fruit we grow

If you're after native fruit, huckleberry, Native American plum, American elderberry, Montana black currant and serviceberry are the ones we grow. They feed birds and wildlife and shrug off cold that would kill a lot of grafted trees.

Getting fruit trees to make it in Ohio

Cold is only part of it. Plant on a slope or bench, not the bottom of a draw, since cold air drains downhill and pools in the low spots on a still night, and that's where blossoms get frosted. Give trees shelter from the wind, put them on drip so the soil never dries out through the summer, then taper it off from mid August so they harden off before the first hard freeze. Paint the trunks white against sunscald (how we do it) and put a quarter inch hardware cloth guard, at least two feet tall, around each trunk for voles and ground squirrels.

Rootstock matters as much as the variety. In the coldest ground we graft onto hardy standard rootstocks, and our rootstock guide explains the tradeoffs. Most apples, pears, plums and sweet cherries need a second variety blooming at the same time to pollenize them; our pollination maps show which ones pair up. Short on room for two? Lapins sweet cherry, Contender peach and Westcot apricot are self fertile, and so is everything in our self fertile fruit trees collection.

Ordering bare root trees for Ohio

Everything on this page ships bare root in spring 2027, dormant, with the roots wrapped in moist sawdust and a vapor barrier, so you can plant as soon as your ground can be worked. Put your order in over the winter, since the best sellers run out. Not sure what to pick? Fill out our We Pick Your Trees form and we'll put a list together for your spot, or email us through the contact page with where you are and what you want to grow. Every plant is guaranteed to bud out (details in our FAQ).

Questions people ask about fruit trees in Ohio

Can you grow fruit trees in Ohio?

Yes. The trick is picking varieties zoned to the cold your spot actually gets. Our maps put most of the Ohio ground we've mapped at −18°F for planning, and 253 of the plants we're selling for spring 2027 have come through that, from hardy apples and pears to plums, tart cherries and berries.

What are the best apple trees for Ohio?

For most of the Ohio ground we've mapped we'd start with Honeycrisp, Prairie Sensation, Frostbite, Haralson and Zestar!®. Each has come through −18°F or colder. All of them clear even the coldest pockets we've mapped in Ohio (−27°F).

What growing zone is Ohio for fruit trees?

Most of the ground we've mapped in Ohio is MFTC zone 5, running from −11°F on the warmest ground around Cleveland, Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley down to −27°F in its cold pockets. USDA's map reads warmer because it's built on an average winter, not the bad one.

Can cherry trees grow in Ohio?

Tart and bush cherries, yes: Montmorency tart cherry, Romeo dwarf cherry and Juliet dwarf cherry all fit most of the Ohio ground we've mapped. Sweet cherries can too. Lapins sweet cherry, one of the hardiest we sell, has come through −35°F, colder than most ground here plans for. Plant it up on a slope, since bloom frost is the bigger risk.

Can you grow peaches in Ohio?

Yes. Contender peach (−30°F), Siberian C peach (−35°F) and Blushingstar peach (−30°F) have come through colder than most of the Ohio ground we've mapped, which plans for −18°F. Plant them up on a slope, since bloom frost is the bigger risk.

Where is the warmest ground for fruit trees in Ohio?

On our maps the warmest growing ground is West Lakeshore in Cleveland, Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley (−11°F), then King-Lincoln Bronzeville in Columbus and Central Ohio (−13°F). Those numbers are the planning lows, the cold a tree there has to live through in a bad winter.

Where are the coldest frost pockets in Ohio?

The coldest spots on our Ohio maps are Jeddoe in Cleveland, Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley (−27°F) and Johnstown in Columbus and Central Ohio (−20°F). Low ground like that is where cold air pools on a still night, so it runs colder than the town nearby.

What's the coldest temperature on Ohio's microclimate maps?

The coldest reading on our Ohio maps is −30°F at Fredericktown 4 S, at the map's edge on January 18, 1994, on the Columbus and Central Ohio map.

When is the last frost in Ohio?

It depends a lot on where you are. At the NOAA station closest to each map's main town, the median last 32°F night in spring runs from April 6 at Burke Lakefront airport, Cleveland (Cleveland, Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley) to April 27 at Columbus (Columbus and Central Ohio). Frost pockets on these maps typically see their last frost about a week and a half after town, in spots like Reminderville (Cleveland, Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley). Open the map for your area to see where your spot sits.

How long is the growing season in Ohio?

At the NOAA station closest to each map's main town, the frost free season runs from about 174 days at Columbus (Columbus and Central Ohio) to about 226 days at Burke Lakefront airport, Cleveland (Cleveland, Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley). Frost pockets on each map run shorter than their town, which is why the spot you're on matters as much as the state.

When should I plant fruit trees in Ohio?

In spring, as soon as the ground thaws and can be worked, while the trees are still dormant. We ship bare root in spring 2027 so the trees arrive dormant and ready to go in the ground.

Do you ship bare root fruit trees to Ohio?

Yes. We ship bare root trees, berries and vines to Ohio every spring, and you can also pick up in Missoula, Montana, if you choose that at checkout.

Fruit trees for other states

Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Or start from the fruit trees by state page.