← Oregon growing regions
Growing in Central Oregon
High desert east of the Cascade crest, 6a to 7b across 29 ZIPs. Bend, the largest town in the region, is 6b: two full zones colder than Eugene, on the other side of the Cascades.
Bend · Redmond · Madras · Prineville · Sisters
- USDA zones
- 6a to 7b
- ZIP codes
- 29
- Frost-free days
- 131–147
- Weather stations
- 4
What the weather stations record
One station per hardiness zone in the region, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals. They disagree, and the disagreement is the useful part: it tells you the region has more than one answer.
| Station | Zone | Last spring frost | Safe after | First autumn frost | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BROTHERS, OR US7 km from 97712 | 6a | Frost recorded in every month. No last-frost date exists here. | |||
| BEND, OR US4 km from 97701 | 6b | Frost recorded in every month. No last-frost date exists here. | |||
| PELTON DAM, OR US11 km from 97761 | 7a | May 11 | June 1 | October 5 | 147 days |
| MARION FORKS FISH HATCHERY, OR US14 km from 97350 | 7b | May 18 | June 12 | September 26 | 131 days |
2 stations here have no frost-free season at all
NOAA records freezing temperatures in every month at BROTHERS, OR US, BEND, OR US. That is not a gap in the data. It means a last-frost date does not exist for that ground, and any calendar below is for the rest of the region rather than for there.
A sowing calendar for growing in Central Oregon
Counted from the median station in the region, MARION FORKS FISH HATCHERY, OR US, where frost is usually finished by May 18 and returns around September 26. Stations in this region range from 131 to 147 frost-free days, so shift these dates if you are at the cold end.
| Crop | What to do, and when |
|---|---|
| Spinach |
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| Peas |
|
| Onions (from sets) |
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| Green onions (scallions) |
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| Lettuce |
|
| Kale |
|
| Radish |
|
| Beets |
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| Broccoli |
|
| Cabbage |
|
| Carrots |
|
| Potatoes |
|
| Chard |
|
| Beans (bush) |
|
| Summer squash and zucchini |
|
| Cucumber |
|
| Tomatoes |
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| Garlic |
|
These are frost dates, not heat. A long season is not the same as a warm one, and on the Oregon coast the two come apart further than anywhere else in the state: there is room in the calendar for a pepper and rarely enough summer to ripen it.
How much room the slowest crops have
Days of slack between a crop finishing and the first autumn frost, at this region’s shortest station. Every one of these finishes somewhere in Oregon; the number is how much margin you have if the season runs short.
- Potatoes25 days spare
- Tomatoes32 days spare
- Onions (from sets)49 days spare
- Cucumber52 days spare
- Cabbage55 days spare
- Broccoli60 days spare
- Summer squash and zucchini62 days spare
- Beans (bush)64 days spare
Farm rooted clothing · Est. 2005
The guides are free. The shop is the business.
Sun & Rain Works is a small apparel outfit in Eugene, Oregon, with agricultural roots and a slow path toward farming. The central oregon growing guide you just read comes from the same place as the shirts.