Frost dates for Bend, Oregon
In Bend, half of springs have had their last frost by June 6 (and 1 spring in 10 still has one after June 22), and half of falls have had their first frost by September 20, leaving about 105 frost-free days in a typical year. Here is how sure those dates are, what they mean for planting, and where they come from.
Frost dates for
Bend, Oregon
Last spring frost
June 6
Half of springs have their last frost by this date. For a safer bet, wait until June 22: only 1 spring in 10 has a frost after that.
First fall frost
September 20
Half of falls have their first frost by this date. In 1 fall in 10 it comes by September 3.
Growing season
105 days
Frost-free days in a typical year. 9 years in 10 get at least 81.
Hardiness zone
6b
2023 USDA map: the coldest night of winter averages −5°F to 0°F. It was 6b on the 2012 map too. All 2 ZIP codes within about 6 miles of the city's center are in zone 6b.
Frost risk through the year
How sure are these dates?
A frost date is a probability, not a promise. NOAA worked out, from 30 years of nightly lows, how often the last spring frost and the first fall frost fall on each date. The middle column is the typical year. The outer columns are the early and late years that come about once a decade.
| Early year 1 in 10 | Typical year 1 in 2 | Late year 1 in 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last frost in spring | May 17 | June 6 | June 22 |
| First frost in fall | September 3 | September 20 | October 5 |
The frost-free season between them runs 105 days in a typical year. In 1 year in 10 it is 129 days or longer, and in 1 year in 10 it is 81 days or shorter.
- Hard freeze (28°F): typically last on May 11 and first on October 4. It is a harder freeze than the 32°F frost line, cold enough to damage many garden plants; how hardy a crop is decides whether it comes through. (The National Weather Service's own hard-freeze threshold varies from office to office.)
In 8 springs out of 10, the last frost in Bend comes between May 17 and June 22, a window of 36 days. That is wider than at most NOAA stations (the typical window is 31 days), so spring here is less predictable than average: lean toward the later date.
Among Oregon's 162 NOAA stations with a frost every year, 9 percent have their typical last frost later than Bend does.
Planting calendar for Bend
These dates count from the typical last and first frosts, using the planting rules published by Colorado State University Extension (spring), Virginia Cooperative Extension (fall crops) and University of Minnesota Extension (garlic, where winters are hard). Weather in any one year can run early or late, so check the forecast before you plant tender crops.
Your season is too short for a separate fall planting of cabbage, broccoli and snap beans: sown late enough to be a fall crop, it wouldn't be ready before the typical first frost. Your spring planting is your harvest.
| When | What to do | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| March | ||
| March 21 to April 18 | Broccoli and cabbage Start seeds indoors | 5 to 7 weeks before planting them out |
| April | ||
| April 4 to May 2 | Cauliflower Start seeds indoors | 5 to 7 weeks before planting out |
| April 18 to May 9 | Eggplant Start seeds indoors | 6 to 9 weeks before planting out |
| April 25 to May 9 | Peppers Start seeds indoors | 6 to 8 weeks before planting out |
| May | ||
| May 2 to 16 | Tomatoes Start seeds indoors | 5 to 7 weeks before planting out |
| May 9 to 23 | Peas, spinach, lettuce, radishes, onion sets, turnips Sow outdoors, as early as | hardy crops: 2 to 4 weeks before the typical last frost |
| May 9 to 23 | Broccoli and cabbage Plant out, as early as | hardy crops: 2 to 4 weeks before the typical last frost |
| May 23 to June 6 | Beets, carrots, potatoes, Swiss chard Plant outdoors, as early as | semi-hardy crops: up to 2 weeks before the typical last frost |
| May 23 to June 6 | Cauliflower Plant out, as early as | semi-hardy: up to 2 weeks before the typical last frost |
| June | ||
| June 6 | Snap beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, summer squash Sow outdoors around | tender crops: around the typical last frost date |
| June 20 | Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant Plant out from | very tender: 2 weeks or more after the typical last frost |
| June 20 | Melons, winter squash, pumpkins, lima beans Sow outdoors from | very tender: 2 weeks or more after the typical last frost |
| June 28 | Carrots for fall Last date to sow | 70 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| June 29 | Cucumbers for fall Last date to sow | 55 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth, plus 2 weeks because frost kills it |
| July | ||
| July 3 | Peas for fall Last date to sow | 65 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| July 4 | Summer squash for fall Last date to sow | 50 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth, plus 2 weeks because frost kills it |
| July 8 | Leaf lettuce and beets for fall Last date to sow | 60 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| July 18 | Turnips and kohlrabi for fall Last date to sow | 50 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| July 28 | Spinach for fall Last date to sow | 40 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| August | ||
| August 7 | Radishes for fall Last date to sow | 30 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| September | ||
| September 3 | Tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons, cucumbers Watch the forecast from | in 1 fall in 10 the first frost comes by this date; pick tender crops before a frost |
| October | ||
| October 11 to 18 | Garlic Plant cloves | one or two weeks after the typical first hard freeze (28°F), our reading of the first killing frost |
Want more insurance? Shift every spring date 16 days later. That plans around June 22, the date after which only 1 spring in 10 has a frost.
For spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils, plant once the soil has cooled to about 50 to 55°F and keep going until a couple of weeks before the ground freezes. Our guide to fall planting explains how to tell.
Where these numbers come from
These dates come from NOAA's weather station Bend (station USC00350694), 1 mile from the center of Bend. It sits at about the same elevation, 3,660 feet above sea level. NOAA rates this station's record as representative: at least 10 of the 30 years, with the gaps filled from nearby stations.
Our ZIP code lookup matches these 3 ZIP codes to the same station, so they get the same dates: 97701, 97702, 97703. Hardiness zones are worked out separately for each ZIP code.
The nearest other places with pages
- Eugene, Oregon: last frost around April 11, first frost around October 23 (90 miles away)
- Salem, Oregon: last frost around April 3, first frost around November 1 (105 miles away)
- Gresham, Oregon: last frost around March 16, first frost around November 20 (115 miles away)
See frost dates across Oregon, or look up your own ZIP code for the station nearest you. Want the background? Read what a last frost date really means.