USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 97814 — Baker City, Oregon
Averages from Baker City Muni Ap, Or US, the nearest reporting station, 3.3 miles away.
Plant tender crops after May 25, and expect the first autumn freeze around September 15. That leaves about 111 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- May 25
- First fall frost
- September 15
- Growing season
- 111 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-5 to 0°F annual low
Planting calendar for 97814
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 16 – March 30 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 30 – April 13 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 27 – May 11 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 25 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by June 23 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 1 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| September 15 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 May 25 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Baker City, Oregon are past their last freeze. Harvest before September 15, which leaves roughly 111 frost-free days.
ZIP 97814 sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between -5 to 0°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.