Will Parsnips Sweeten in Oregon?
Yes, but modestly. West of the Cascades, in the Willamette Valley climate that Portland represents, parsnips left in the ground do get exposed to frost…
Gardening in Oregon
Everything we have worked out for Oregon: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Portland, the last spring freeze runs March 6 to March 21 and the first fall freeze runs November 11 to November 27, USDA zones 4a-9b, 2,942 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 17.4 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Oregon: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Growing Spinach in Oregon: When Will It Bolt?
Spring spinach in the Willamette Valley bolts as the days close in on the 15-hour, 30-minute mark reached at the June solstice, which usually means the…
Growing Pumpkins in Oregon: Will They Ripen in Time?
In western Oregon, a pumpkin flower needs to open by roughly mid-September to mid-October to ripen before the season’s first freeze.
When Does the Heating Season Start in Oregon?
In the Portland area, heating demand typically kicks in during October, when the month’s average temperature first drops below the 65°F mark used to…
Growing Parsnips in Oregon: Will They Sweeten?
West of the Cascades, Oregon’s winters are too mild and too brief in their cold snaps to reliably sweeten parsnips the way a harsh continental winter…
Will Carrots Fork in Oregon Soil?
Yes, in the unamended version of Oregon’s official state soil, carrots are likely to fork.
When to Sow Beets in Oregon
In western Oregon, beets go in the ground roughly two to three weeks before the last spring frost, which at the Portland reference station falls between…
Beet Soil in Oregon: What the Root Will Meet
Beets planted in average Oregon ground will run into two different problems depending on where that ground sits.
Growing Carrots in Oregon: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Yes, carrots grow well in Oregon, but the soil that defines much of the state, heavy Willamette Valley clay, forks roots unless you loosen it first.
Growing Beets in Oregon: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
Oregon’s official state soil runs acid and clay-heavy, exactly the profile that gives beets trouble.