Place guide
Planting zones in Eugene-Springfield, OR
This metro spans USDA zones 7b to 9a, so there is no single zone for Eugene-Springfield, OR and anyone who gives you one is rounding. 74% of its ZIP codes are zone 8b; the rest are not.
Your ZIP code
Get the exact answer for your address
Everything above describes Eugene-Springfield, OR as a whole. Hardiness zones and freeze dates are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact — enter it and this page will tell you your zone, which NOAA station it comes from and how far away that station is.
Eugene-Springfield, OR does not have one planting answer
Its own weather stations disagree about 27 of the 32 crops in this table right now, so any single list would be wrong for part of the metro area. That is not a gap in the data — it is what the data says.
- Shortest season
- 159 days
MCKENZIE RVR RS, OR US (USC00355362) - Longest season
- 306 days
MAPLETON, OR US (USC00355204)
147 days of growing season separate those two stations, and both serve ZIP codes in Eugene-Springfield, OR. The ZIP lookup above answers for one address instead of averaging a place that has no average.
Why the hardiness zone does not settle this
A USDA zone is a winter-minimum statistic. It was never a growing-season one, and it does not behave like one: within a single zone the growing season runs a median 54 days wider at the 10th–90th percentile, and annual growing degree days vary by 2.02×.
The zones also overlap rather than stack — 30% of zone 6b freezes before the median zone 6a station. The zone tells you what survives your winter; the station tells you what finishes before your autumn.
All 14 stations agreeAt least one station
Every one of the 14 NOAA stations serving this metro area counts May 1 – October 10 as growing season (162 days). Widening to any single station gives February 15 – December 11 (299 days).
That is a 137-day difference inside one metro area — which is why this page gives ranges rather than a single planting date. The ZIP lookup above resolves it to one station.
Which zone you are in depends where you are
Eugene-Springfield, OR covers 3 hardiness zones. A guide that gives the metro one zone has picked whichever is largest and rounded everyone else into it — which is fine for the 74% in zone 8b and wrong for the other 26%. Here is the actual split.
| Zone | ZIP codes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8b | 26 | 74% | |
| 9a | 8 | 23% | |
| 7b | 1 | 3% |
Zones are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact even though the metro's is not. The hardiness tool will tell you which one you are in.
Your freeze dates
Those are the earliest and latest medians among the 14 stations serving this metro — not an average, and not one station standing in for the rest. Half of years freeze later than a station's own median.
The spread is the point. Even in a metro that is one hardiness zone throughout, its stations disagree about the last spring freeze. Hardiness zone and frost date measure different things — a zone is the average annual coldest night, a freeze date is when the season turns — and a place can be uniform in one and varied in the other. Use the tools below with your own ZIP rather than the ends of this range.
Your growing season
NOAA publishes a growing-season length for each station, and across the 14 stations serving Eugene-Springfield, OR it runs 159–306 days . That figure is published, not computed from the two freeze dates — subtracting one from the other gives the wrong answer wherever a season crosses New Year. Mean summer high (June–August) runs 64–86 °F , below the 90 °F point where cool-season crops reliably bolt. Summer rain over the same months runs 1.8–4.9" across those 14 stations, against the rough inch a week — about 13 inches over the same 92 days — that a vegetable garden is usually reckoned to want. The middle station covers about 27% of it, so expect to make up the rest. The inches are NOAA's published normals; the inch a week is a rule of thumb, and it takes no account of a 79 °F summer afternoon drying the soil faster than a cool one.
When to start seeds in Eugene-Springfield, OR
Every spring job for 63 crop dates, counted from this metro's own last spring freeze. Each is a range across all 14 stations — the earliest and latest that job falls anywhere in the metro — because no one station speaks for the whole area.
| Crop | Job | When | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | Start indoors | January 4 – March 20 | 6 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Start indoors | January 4 – March 20 | 6 weeks before |
| Collards | Start indoors | January 4 – March 20 | 6 weeks before |
| Kale | Start indoors | January 4 – March 20 | 6 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Start indoors | January 4 – March 20 | 6 weeks before |
| Peas | Direct sow | January 4 – March 20 | 6 weeks before |
| Spinach | Direct sow | January 4 – March 20 | 6 weeks before |
| Sweet Potato | Start indoors | January 4 – March 20 | 6 weeks before |
| Tomatoes | Start indoors | January 4 – March 20 | 6 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Start indoors | January 5 – December 25 | 8 weeks before |
| Peppers | Start indoors | January 5 – December 25 | 8 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Start indoors | January 11 – March 27 | 5 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Start indoors | January 11 – March 27 | 5 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Start indoors | January 11 – March 27 | 5 weeks before |
| Arugula | Direct sow | January 18 – April 3 | 4 weeks before |
| Baby Salad Greens | Direct sow | January 18 – April 3 | 4 weeks before |
| Beets | Direct sow | January 18 – April 3 | 4 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Direct sow | January 18 – April 3 | 4 weeks before |
| Mustard Greens | Direct sow | January 18 – April 3 | 4 weeks before |
| Okra | Start indoors | January 18 – April 3 | 4 weeks before |
| Radishes | Direct sow | January 18 – April 3 | 4 weeks before |
| Turnips | Direct sow | January 18 – April 3 | 4 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Set out | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Carrots | Direct sow | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Direct sow | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Set out | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Cucumbers | Start indoors | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Set out | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Direct sow | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Set out | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Direct sow | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Set out | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Direct sow | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Pumpkins | Start indoors | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Summer Squash | Start indoors | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Winter Squash | Start indoors | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Zucchini | Start indoors | January 25 – April 10 | 3 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Direct sow | February 1 – April 17 | 2 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Set out | February 1 – April 17 | 2 weeks before |
| Broccoli | Set out | February 1 – April 17 | 2 weeks before |
| Cilantro | Direct sow | February 1 – April 17 | 2 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Set out | February 1 – April 17 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Direct sow | February 1 – April 17 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Set out | February 1 – April 17 | 2 weeks before |
| Dill | Direct sow | February 8 – April 24 | 1 week before |
| Bush Beans | Direct sow | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Set out | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Direct sow | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Set out | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Direct sow | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Set out | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Sweet Corn | Direct sow | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Tomatoes | Set out | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Direct sow | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Set out | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Direct sow | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Set out | February 22 – May 8 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Direct sow | March 1 – May 15 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Direct sow | March 1 – May 15 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Set out | March 1 – May 15 | 2 weeks after |
| Peppers | Set out | March 1 – May 15 | 2 weeks after |
| Southern Peas | Direct sow | March 1 – May 15 | 2 weeks after |
| Sweet Potato | Set out | March 1 – May 15 | 2 weeks after |
The week offsets are conventional extension guidance and vary by variety; the freeze dates they are counted from are measured. For a single date rather than a range, run when do I start my seeds? with your own ZIP code.
What survives the winter changes across Eugene-Springfield, OR
Of 74 perennial fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables and herbs, 56 come through the winter in zone 7b and only 46 in zone 9a. That is a different garden at each end of the same metro.
| Zone | ZIPs | Survive | Fail for being too warm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7b | 1 | 56 of 74 | 3 |
| 8b | 26 | 54 of 74 | 11 |
| 9a | 8 | 46 of 74 | 25 |
The last column is the counterintuitive one, and it is why the totals do not simply rise as the winters get milder. Most temperate fruit needs a documented number of hours below about 45 °F to break dormancy and set a crop, so an apple fails in a winter that is too warm; currants and rhubarb cook in the summer heat that comes with it. See the full list with reasons.
At least one station here freezes across the new year, which puts the two ends of a spread on opposite sides of the calendar. Drawing it would produce a bar spanning almost the whole year and meaning nothing, so none is drawn.
The 14 stations behind these numbers
All 14 NOAA stations whose normals this page quotes, spanning about 74 km north to south. Every one is named with its identifier in the station list below — this page does not single one out, because no one station speaks for a whole metro area.
A relative sketch, not a map with a projection: longitude is adjusted for latitude so the shape is not stretched, and there is no basemap. For the one station nearest a specific address, with its real distance, use the ZIP lookup above.
Every figure above comes from these, and each is named so you can check it. Which station serves a given ZIP code, and how far away it is, varies across the metro — the table below gives it per ZIP code rather than this page averaging it.
| Station | NOAA ID | Last spring freeze | First fall freeze | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage Grove 2E, OR | USC00351897 | April 24 | October 25 | 183 days |
| Cottage Grove Dam, OR | USC00351902 | April 12 | November 1 | 205 days |
| Cougar Dam, OR | USC00351914 | March 2 | November 30 | 274 days |
| Drain, OR | USC00352406 | April 16 | October 25 | 193 days |
| Eugene Mahlon Sweet AP, OR | USW00024221 | April 11 | October 23 | 196 days |
| Fern Ridge-Veneta, OR | USC00352867 | April 18 | October 25 | 189 days |
| Florence #2, OR | USC00352973 | April 10 | November 15 | 220 days |
| Honeyman SP, OR | USC00353995 | March 28 | November 22 | 237 days |
| Leaburg 1 SW, OR | USC00354811 | April 3 | November 11 | 220 days |
| Lookout Pt Dam, OR | USC00355050 | March 7 | November 27 | 263 days |
| Mapleton, OR | USC00355204 | February 15 | December 9 | 306 days |
| Mckenzie Rvr RS, OR | USC00355362 | May 1 | October 10 | 159 days |
| Oakridge Fish Hatchery, OR | USC00356213 | April 24 | October 24 | 183 days |
| Yachats, OR | USC00359588 | February 19 | December 11 | 303 days |
These are medians, not averages — NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.
Every ZIP code in Eugene-Springfield, OR
Zones are published per ZIP code, not per metro area, so this is the exact answer rather than the metro area's average. The station column is the nearest one to that ZIP code's centroid and how far away it is — the same figure the tools use, shown here so you can see which ZIP codes are well covered and which are reaching.
| ZIP code | USDA zone | Nearest NOAA station | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97401 | 8b | Eugene Mahlon Sweet AP, OR | 13.0 km |
| 97402 | 8b | Eugene Mahlon Sweet AP, OR | 8.9 km |
| 97403 | 8b | Eugene Mahlon Sweet AP, OR | 16.9 km |
| 97404 | 8b | Eugene Mahlon Sweet AP, OR | 7.4 km |
| 97405 | 8b | Eugene Mahlon Sweet AP, OR | 20.0 km |
| 97408 | 8b | Eugene Mahlon Sweet AP, OR | 13.1 km |
| 97412 | 8b | Fern Ridge-Veneta, OR | 22.4 km |
| 97413 | 7b | Mckenzie Rvr RS, OR | 19.5 km |
| 97419 | 8b | Fern Ridge-Veneta, OR | 15.0 km |
| 97424 | 8b | Cottage Grove Dam, OR | 3.2 km |
| 97426 | 8b | Cottage Grove 2E, OR | 11.9 km |
| 97430 | 9a | Mapleton, OR | 17.9 km |
| 97431 | 9a | Lookout Pt Dam, OR | 8.2 km |
| 97434 | 8b | Oakridge Fish Hatchery, OR | 24.8 km |
| 97437 | 8b | Fern Ridge-Veneta, OR | 5.7 km |
| 97438 | 8b | Lookout Pt Dam, OR | 7.1 km |
| 97439 | 9a | Florence #2, OR | 9.4 km |
| 97448 | 8b | Eugene Mahlon Sweet AP, OR | 10.4 km |
| 97451 | 8b | Drain, OR | 21.6 km |
| 97452 | 9a | Lookout Pt Dam, OR | 4.5 km |
| 97453 | 9a | Mapleton, OR | 6.3 km |
| 97454 | 8b | Leaburg 1 SW, OR | 16.6 km |
| 97455 | 8b | Lookout Pt Dam, OR | 14.2 km |
| 97461 | 8b | Fern Ridge-Veneta, OR | 12.1 km |
| 97463 | 8b | Oakridge Fish Hatchery, OR | 4.5 km |
| 97477 | 8b | Eugene Mahlon Sweet AP, OR | 18.4 km |
| 97478 | 8b | Leaburg 1 SW, OR | 12.3 km |
| 97480 | 9a | Mapleton, OR | 10.5 km |
| 97487 | 8b | Fern Ridge-Veneta, OR | 6.9 km |
| 97488 | 8b | Cougar Dam, OR | 14.0 km |
| 97489 | 8b | Leaburg 1 SW, OR | 6.6 km |
| 97490 | 8b | Fern Ridge-Veneta, OR | 19.3 km |
| 97492 | 8b | Oakridge Fish Hatchery, OR | 8.9 km |
| 97493 | 9a | Honeyman SP, OR | 7.2 km |
| 97498 | 9a | Yachats, OR | 9.5 km |
ZIP-code positions are area centroids, so a large rural ZIP code's listed distance is measured from the middle of its area rather than from any particular address in it.
Your own ZIP
Work out your own dates
Each of these takes a ZIP code and answers for that ZIP alone, citing the station it used and how far away it is. There is a ZIP box in the header of every page.
-
What survives my winter?
Runs on the hardiness zone, so it answers for all of Eugene-Springfield, OR at once — zone across 74 perennial fruits, berries, vegetables and herbs.
- When do I start my seeds?
Dates every spring job from your own last freeze — sow indoors, set out, direct sow.
- When do I sow the next round?
How often each crop is worth re-sowing, and when the next sowing is due.
- What can I still plant?
Counts the growing days left before your first fall freeze, crop by crop.
Other places to compare
Gardening in Oregon — zones 5b– 9b covers the whole state: how its 426 ZIP codes divide between 9 hardiness zones, and the freeze dates across every NOAA station in it.
Other metro areas in OR:
- Salem, OR Zones 7b, 8b
- Albany, OR Zones 7a, 7b, 8b
- Bend, OR Zones 6a–7a
- Medford, OR Zones 8a–8b
- Grants Pass, OR Zone 8b
- Corvallis, OR Zone 8b
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Zones 7a–9a
Gear
If you want to act on this
Each link opens an Amazon search rather than a product we picked. We have not tested these and do not rank them — the search is the honest version, and you choose.
- Row cover and frost clothThe season here closes at the first fall freeze dated above — a cover buys back some of those days at the end.
- MulchFor the perennials nearest their cold limit in zone 7b, where an insulated crown is what decides whether they come back.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. That costs you nothing extra, and it buys no influence over anything on this site: the dates come from NOAA normals and the zones from the USDA, and no product affects either.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
The hardiness zone is the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published per ZIP code by PRISM at Oregon State. The freeze dates are NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals, read from every station whose normals cover a ZIP code in this metro. Nothing here is estimated, and no station stands in for another.
This page names no single station on purpose. Picking one to represent a metro sounds reasonable and is not: the station serving the most ZIP codes is an artifact of where ZIP centroids happen to fall, and it selects a lock on the Monongahela for Pittsburgh and a far southern suburb for Chicago. A range across every station is true; a single cited date for a whole metro is not.