← Oregon growing regions
Growing in Eastern Oregon
The coldest ground in the state and the widest internal spread, 5b to 7b, taking in the Blue Mountains, the Wallowas and the warmer Snake River farmland on the Idaho line. Oregon's only 5b ZIP is here.
Pendleton · La Grande · Baker City · Enterprise · Ontario
- USDA zones
- 5b to 7b
- ZIP codes
- 81
- Frost-free days
- 130–180
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN DAY, OR US32 km from 97873 | 5b | May 16 | June 3 | September 23 | 130 days |
| MASON DAM, OR US20 km from 97877 | 6b | Frost recorded in every month. No last-frost date exists here. | |||
| LONG CREEK, OR US27 km from 97864 | 7a | Frost recorded in every month. No last-frost date exists here. | |||
| BOARDMAN, OR US6 km from 97818 | 7b | April 18 | May 4 | October 15 | 180 days |
2 stations here have no frost-free season at all
NOAA records freezing temperatures in every month at MASON DAM, OR US, LONG CREEK, 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 Eastern Oregon
Counted from the median station in the region, JOHN DAY, OR US, where frost is usually finished by May 16 and returns around September 23. Stations in this region range from 130 to 180 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 |
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| Onions (from sets) |
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| Green onions (scallions) |
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| Lettuce |
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| Kale |
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| Radish |
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| Beets |
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| Broccoli |
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| Cabbage |
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| Carrots |
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| Potatoes |
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| Chard |
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| Beans (bush) |
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| Summer squash and zucchini |
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| Cucumber |
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| 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.
- Potatoes24 days spare
- Tomatoes31 days spare
- Onions (from sets)48 days spare
- Cucumber51 days spare
- Cabbage54 days spare
- Broccoli59 days spare
- Summer squash and zucchini61 days spare
- Beans (bush)63 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 eastern oregon growing guide you just read comes from the same place as the shirts.