Bend, OR · zone 6a · ~105 frost-free days
When to plant in Bend: frost dates and zone 6a.
In Bend, the typical last spring frost lands around Jun 6 and the first fall frost around Sep 19, giving you about 105 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Bend, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | May 2 to May 13 | Jun 13 to Jun 24 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Apr 29 to Jun 13 | Jul 6 to Sep 4 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 29 to Jun 1 | Jun 24 to Jul 20 |
| Bush Bean | — | Jun 6 to Jul 8 | — |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Jun 13 to Jul 3 | — |
| Pepper, bell | May 11 to May 16 | Jun 22 to Jun 27 | — |
| Kale | Mar 18 to Apr 15 | Apr 29 to May 27 | Jun 19 to Aug 4 |
| Spinach | — | Apr 15 to May 27 | Jul 6 to Aug 24 |
Bend sits in Zone 6a, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Bend garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 97701 in about 60 seconds.
Bend planting questions
What planting zone is Bend, OR?+
Bend is in USDA hardiness zone 6a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 6a here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Bend?+
The typical last spring frost in Bend, OR is around Jun 6. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Bend?+
The typical first fall frost in Bend, OR arrives around Sep 19, closing a growing season of roughly 105 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Bend?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Jun 6. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.