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USDA Hardiness Zone 9a

Frost Dates for 97459 — North Bend, Oregon

Averages from North Bend Rgnl Ap, Or US, the nearest reporting station, 2.2 miles away.

Plant tender crops after February 21, and expect the first autumn freeze around December 9. That leaves about 294 frost-free days.

Last spring frost
February 21

50% probability

First fall frost
December 9

50% probability

Growing season
294 days

frost-free

Hardiness zone
9a

20 to 25°F annual low

First snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
35%

6 of 17 observed

Snow per year
0.2"

NOAA normal

When it snows in North Bend, Oregon

Measurable snow is rare here: only 6 of 17 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at North Bend Rgnl Ap, Or US, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.

For a gardener, snow matters less than frost: a light snow on frozen ground changes nothing, while a hard frost on an unprotected bed ends the season. Use the frost dates above for planting and the snow dates for getting hoses drained, mulch down and tender pots indoors.

Planting calendar for 97459

What to do and when, based on the frost normals for North Bend, Oregon
WhenWhat to do
December 13 – December 27

Start peppers and aubergines indoors

They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.

December 27 – January 10

Start tomatoes indoors

Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.

January 24 – February 7

Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors

These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.

February 21 onward

Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers

The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.

by September 16

Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas

They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.

by November 25

Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them

A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.

December 9 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 21 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in North Bend, Oregon are past their last freeze. Harvest before December 9, which leaves roughly 294 frost-free days.

ZIP 97459 sits in USDA hardiness zone 9a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 20 to 25°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.

Other zone 9a ZIP codes in Oregon