← Oregon growing regions
Growing in the Umpqua and Rogue Valleys
The southern interior valleys, mostly 8b, reaching 9a around Roseburg and cooling to 8a around Ashland. The single 6b ZIP is Crater Lake on the eastern rim, which is a mountain rather than a valley and is why this region's raw band reads 6b to 9a.
Roseburg · Grants Pass · Medford · Ashland
- USDA zones
- 6b to 9a
- ZIP codes
- 42
- Frost-free days
- 198–236
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRATER LAKE NPS HQ, OR US18 km from 97604 | 6b | Frost recorded in every month. No last-frost date exists here. | |||
| MEDFORD ROGUE VALLEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, OR US16 km from 97524 | 8a | April 13 | May 4 | October 28 | 198 days |
| RIDDLE, OR US25 km from 97410 | 8b | April 2 | May 1 | November 1 | 213 days |
| ROSEBURG KQEN, OR US10 km from 97471 | 9a | March 28 | April 24 | November 19 | 236 days |
One station here has no frost-free season at all
NOAA records freezing temperatures in every month at CRATER LAKE NPS HQ, 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 the Umpqua and Rogue Valleys
Counted from the median station in the region, RIDDLE, OR US, where frost is usually finished by April 2 and returns around November 1. Stations in this region range from 198 to 236 frost-free days, so shift these dates if you are at the cold end.
| Crop | What to do, and when |
|---|---|
| Spinach |
|
| Peas |
|
| Onions (from sets) |
|
| Green onions (scallions) |
|
| Lettuce |
|
| Kale |
|
| Radish |
|
| Beets |
|
| Broccoli |
|
| Cabbage |
|
| Carrots |
|
| Potatoes |
|
| Chard |
|
| Beans (bush) |
|
| Summer squash and zucchini |
|
| Cucumber |
|
| Tomatoes |
|
| 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.
- Potatoes92 days spare
- Tomatoes99 days spare
- Onions (from sets)116 days spare
- Cucumber119 days spare
- Cabbage122 days spare
- Broccoli127 days spare
- Summer squash and zucchini129 days spare
- Beans (bush)131 days spare
Farm rooted clothing · Est. 2005
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Sun & Rain Works is a small apparel outfit in Eugene, Oregon, with agricultural roots and a slow path toward farming. The umpqua & rogue valleys growing guide you just read comes from the same place as the shirts.