My guess is no because they are not rated for that zone. Here they do good and I think in Georgia and the east coast and of course Hawaii and California but I don't think they will make it in Ohio. I am surprised you can keep a Washingtonia alive as well.

I've had a washingtonia in the ground since 2008, doing just fine. I'm in WI.

I dont know what zone you are but im in zone 8a/b and i have several date palm seedlings outside unprotected and they survived all 3 winters they are alive.Now i dont know how they will fare once they mature (if they survive the following winters that is)but they are persistent little buggers! :-D :-D so you might be surprised!

I do think it is possible, but you have to chose the hardier date palms and give it serious protection. Even the ones that are claimed to be hardy like the true date palms and cretan date palms will need to be protected so they never see below 20F. They also get tall and the leaves get large so you will need some big protection.
They are nice plants, but will not recover well from cold like faster growing plants like washingtonias do. A pygmy date palm in a pot might bring the date palm look you are looking for without having a large date palm. You can sink the pot into the soil and lift it up in the fall. The thing is that you dont get the satisfaction of making it survive outside.

Good luck!

Okay I'm looking to get atleast 3 gallon size date palms
does anyone know were to get any Cheap other than EBAY?
also is this a good deal: http://cgi.ebay.com/3-Gallon-PHOENIX-SYLVESTER-SYLVESTRIS-WILD-DATE-PALM_W0QQitemZ230407784220QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a55fc71c

Also I just palnted 300 Mexican fan palms there on my self.
They are easy from seed and easy to grow.
Asl Can anyone tell me any other hardy palm I don't have listed and where to get them (in a bigger size if possible).
Thank, Joe Fernwalt

wxman81 you have any pics ? would love to see it.

It would be tough in Ohio. I'm in zone 8 and the Mexican Fans and Date palms here are brown and crispy right now.

{{gwi:1117169}}

To get a date palm (any species) to survive in the ground in Ohio, you would basically have to construct a mini greenhouse-like structure around each palm. This structure would have to keep the soil around the rootzone unfrozen, allow some light to reach the palm, and make sure absolute minimums don't fall much below 20 F (hardier species). Also, average daytime temperatures should be at least in the 50s on a somewhat regular basis.

-Michael

September 2009, almost a year and half in the ground...

Looks good I'm sure you protect them in the winter which will be a chore when they are bigger,but if you enjoy it then great.Good luck