Portland, OR · zone 9a · ~278 frost-free days
When to plant in Portland: frost dates and zone 9a.
In Portland, the typical last spring frost lands around Feb 26 and the first fall frost around Dec 1, giving you about 278 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 Portland, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Jan 22 to Mar 24 | Mar 5 to May 5 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Jan 19 to Mar 5 | Sep 17 to Nov 16 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 19 to Feb 21 | Sep 5 to Oct 1 |
| Bush Bean | — | Feb 26 to Apr 18 | Aug 17 to Sep 19 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Mar 5 to Jun 4 | Jul 31 to Aug 31 |
| Pepper, bell | Jan 31 to Mar 24 | Mar 14 to May 5 | — |
| Kale | Dec 8 to Jan 5 | Jan 19 to Feb 16 | Aug 31 to Oct 16 |
| Spinach | — | Jan 5 to Feb 16 | Sep 17 to Nov 5 |
Portland sits in Zone 9a, 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 Portland 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 97204 in about 60 seconds.
Portland planting questions
What planting zone is Portland, OR?+
Portland is in USDA hardiness zone 9a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 9a 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 Portland?+
The typical last spring frost in Portland, OR is around Feb 26. 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 Portland?+
The typical first fall frost in Portland, OR arrives around Dec 1, closing a growing season of roughly 278 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Portland?+
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 Feb 26. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.