State guide
Planting zones in Oregon
Oregon spans USDA zones 5b to 9b across its 426 ZIP codes, so there is no single zone for the state and anyone who gives you one is rounding. 41% of its ZIP codes are zone 8b; the rest are not.
Your ZIP code
Get the exact answer for your address
Everything above describes Oregon 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.
Which zone you are in depends where you are
Oregon covers 9 hardiness zones. A guide that gives the state one zone has picked whichever is largest and rounded everyone else into it — which is fine for the 41% in zone 8b and wrong for the other 59%. Here is the actual split, by ZIP code.
| Zone | ZIP codes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8b | 174 | 41% | |
| 9a | 88 | 21% | |
| 6b | 59 | 14% | |
| 7a | 38 | 9% | |
| 6a | 27 | 6% | |
| 7b | 16 | 4% | |
| 8a | 14 | 3% | |
| 9b | 9 | 2% | |
| 5b | 1 | 0% |
Zones are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact even though the state'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 172 stations in Oregon with an ordinary freeze window — not an average, and not one station standing in for the rest. Half of years freeze later than a station's own median.
Your growing season
NOAA publishes a growing-season length for each station, and across the 172 stations in Oregon it runs 84–349 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 63–91 °F , reaching the 90 °F point where cool-season crops bolt and tomato and pepper pollen fails — so midsummer sowings of lettuce and its relatives are worth holding in the hotter parts of the state.
The ends of each range, named
A range with no station behind it cannot be checked, and Oregon has too many stations to table them all. So every figure above is reported here with the station standing at each end of it, by name and NOAA ID. No station on this page represents Oregon — these are its edges, which is a different claim.
| Measure | Earliest / lowest | Station | Latest / highest | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last spring freeze | January 31 | Brookings 2 SE, OR USC00351055 | June 11 | Burns Muni AP, OR USW00094185 |
| First fall freeze | September 5 | Drewsey, OR USC00352415 | December 27 | Brookings, OR USC00351058 |
| Growing season | 84 days | Enterprise 20 Nne, OR USC00352678 | 349 days | Brookings, OR USC00351058 |
| Mean summer high | 63 °F | Newport, OR USW00024285 | 91 °F | Ontario Muni AP, OR USW00024162 |
These are medians, not averages — NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.
When to start seeds in Oregon
Every spring job for 63 crop dates, counted from this state's own last spring freeze. Each is a range across all 172 stations — the earliest and latest that job falls anywhere in Oregon — because no one station speaks for a whole state. The ranges are wide on purpose: that width is the state.
| Crop | Job | When | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arugula | Direct sow | January 3 – May 14 | 4 weeks before |
| Baby Salad Greens | Direct sow | January 3 – May 14 | 4 weeks before |
| Beets | Direct sow | January 3 – May 14 | 4 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Direct sow | January 3 – May 14 | 4 weeks before |
| Mustard Greens | Direct sow | January 3 – May 14 | 4 weeks before |
| Okra | Start indoors | January 3 – May 14 | 4 weeks before |
| Radishes | Direct sow | January 3 – May 14 | 4 weeks before |
| Turnips | Direct sow | January 3 – May 14 | 4 weeks before |
| Broccoli | Start indoors | January 4 – December 31 | 6 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Start indoors | January 4 – December 31 | 6 weeks before |
| Collards | Start indoors | January 4 – December 31 | 6 weeks before |
| Kale | Start indoors | January 4 – December 31 | 6 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Start indoors | January 4 – December 31 | 6 weeks before |
| Peas | Direct sow | January 4 – December 31 | 6 weeks before |
| Spinach | Direct sow | January 4 – December 31 | 6 weeks before |
| Sweet Potato | Start indoors | January 4 – December 31 | 6 weeks before |
| Tomatoes | Start indoors | January 4 – December 31 | 6 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Start indoors | January 5 – December 31 | 8 weeks before |
| Peppers | Start indoors | January 5 – December 31 | 8 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Start indoors | January 7 – December 27 | 5 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Start indoors | January 7 – December 27 | 5 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Start indoors | January 7 – December 27 | 5 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Set out | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Carrots | Direct sow | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Direct sow | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Set out | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Cucumbers | Start indoors | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Set out | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Direct sow | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Set out | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Direct sow | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Set out | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Direct sow | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Pumpkins | Start indoors | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Summer Squash | Start indoors | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Winter Squash | Start indoors | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Zucchini | Start indoors | January 10 – May 21 | 3 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Direct sow | January 17 – May 28 | 2 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Set out | January 17 – May 28 | 2 weeks before |
| Broccoli | Set out | January 17 – May 28 | 2 weeks before |
| Cilantro | Direct sow | January 17 – May 28 | 2 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Set out | January 17 – May 28 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Direct sow | January 17 – May 28 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Set out | January 17 – May 28 | 2 weeks before |
| Dill | Direct sow | January 24 – June 4 | 1 week before |
| Bush Beans | Direct sow | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Set out | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Direct sow | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Set out | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Direct sow | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Set out | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Sweet Corn | Direct sow | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Tomatoes | Set out | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Direct sow | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Set out | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Direct sow | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Set out | February 7 – June 18 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Direct sow | February 14 – June 25 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Direct sow | February 14 – June 25 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Set out | February 14 – June 25 | 2 weeks after |
| Peppers | Set out | February 14 – June 25 | 2 weeks after |
| Southern Peas | Direct sow | February 14 – June 25 | 2 weeks after |
| Sweet Potato | Set out | February 14 – June 25 | 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 Oregon
Of 74 perennial fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables and herbs, 58 come through the winter in zone 7a and only 40 in zone 9b. Winter hardiness runs on the zone alone, so each row below is exact for the ZIP codes in it.
| Zone | ZIPs | Survive | Fail for being too warm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5b | 1 | 48 of 74 | 0 |
| 6a | 27 | 51 of 74 | 0 |
| 6b | 59 | 51 of 74 | 0 |
| 7a | 38 | 58 of 74 | 1 |
| 7b | 16 | 56 of 74 | 3 |
| 8a | 14 | 57 of 74 | 8 |
| 8b | 174 | 54 of 74 | 11 |
| 9a | 88 | 46 of 74 | 25 |
| 9b | 9 | 40 of 74 | 32 |
The best zone in Oregon is 7a, which is not its mildest — 9b is. The count peaks in the middle and falls both ways, because the warm end loses plants to insufficient winter chill and summer heat rather than to cold. 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 heat that comes with it. See the full list with reasons.
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 exactly for your ZIP code rather than for Oregon as a whole — 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.
Metro areas in Oregon
8 metro areas here have its own page, with the freeze dates from every station serving it, a spring calendar built from those stations, and every ZIP code in it listed with that ZIP code's exact zone and nearest station.
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Zones 7a–9a
- Eugene-Springfield, OR Zones 7b, 8b, 9a
- 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
Counties in Oregon
12 countys here have its own page, listing every ZIP code in it with that ZIP code's exact zone and nearest station. These are the smaller places outside the metro areas above — where most of Oregon's ZIP codes actually are.
- Douglas County, OR Zones 8b–9a
- Klamath County, OR Zones 6a–7a
- Lincoln County, OR Zones 8b–9b
- Malheur County, OR Zones 6a–7a
- Tillamook County, OR Zones 8b–9b
- Umatilla County, OR Zones 6b–7b
- Grant County, OR Zones 5b, 6b, 7a
- Baker County, OR Zones 6a–7a
- Harney County, OR Zones 6a–6b
- Coos County, OR Zones 9a–9b
- Wasco County, OR Zones 6b–7b
- Curry County, OR Zones 9a–9b
Other states to compare
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.
- Trunk wrapZone 5b is cold enough that winter sun on a young trunk does more damage than the cold does.
- 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 5b, 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, growing seasons and summer highs are NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals, read from every station in Oregon. Which ZIP codes are in Oregon comes from the Census ZIP-to-county relation, since a county's federal code begins with its state's. Nothing here is estimated.
This page names no single station for Oregon on purpose. Picking one to represent a state sounds reasonable and is not — the same reason the metro pages refuse it, only more so at this size. Instead every range names the station at each end, so you can check both without either one being made to speak for the state.