USDA Hardiness Zone 8b
Frost Dates for 97219 — Portland, Oregon
Averages from Portland Kgw-Tv, Or US, the nearest reporting station, 4.2 miles away.
Plant tender crops after February 25, and expect the first autumn freeze around December 1. That leaves about 280 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- February 25
- First fall frost
- December 1
- Growing season
- 280 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
15 to 20°F annual low
Planting calendar for 97219
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 17 – December 31 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| December 31 – January 14 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| January 28 – February 11 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| February 25 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by September 8 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 17 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| December 1 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after February 25 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Portland, Oregon are past their last freeze. Harvest before December 1, which leaves roughly 280 frost-free days.
ZIP 97219 sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 15 to 20°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.