Wallowa, OR planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 6b−5 to 0 °F
- Last frost
- Jun 7avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Sep 9avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 91days
Wallowa, Oregon is in USDA plant hardiness zone 6b. Its average last spring frost is around June 7 and the first fall frost around September 9, giving a growing season of about 91 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Wallowa planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Wallowa's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 14 – Jun 21 | Aug 13 – Sep 2 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | Jun 21 – Jun 28 | Aug 20 – Sep 19 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | May 10 – May 17 | Jun 14 – Jun 21 | Aug 3 – Aug 23 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jun 14 – Jun 21 | Jul 29 – Aug 13 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jun 14 – Jun 21 | Aug 3 – Aug 13 | Jul 11 – Jul 21 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jun 7 – Jun 21 | Aug 6 – Sep 5 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 14 – Jun 21 | Jul 14 – Jul 29 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Apr 26 – May 10 | May 10 – May 24 | Jun 24 – Jul 9 | Jun 27 – Jul 12 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 20 – Jul 5 | Jun 17 – Jul 2 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 5 – Jun 15 | Jul 7 – Jul 17 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | May 17 – May 24 | Jul 16 – Aug 5 | Jun 7 – Jun 27 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 10 – May 24 | Jul 4 – Jul 24 | Jun 12 – Jul 2 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00358997. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | — | — | — | — | 53 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jun 7 | Jul 7 | Sep 9 | Sep 27 | 91 |
| 28°F | May 11 | May 29 | Sep 24 | Oct 8 | 133 |
| 24°F | Apr 28 | May 11 | Oct 5 | Oct 21 | 161 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 1,846 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 3,809 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 6b
Wallowa sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 6b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −5 to 0 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 6b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Wallowa?
- Wallowa, Oregon is in USDA plant hardiness zone 6b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −5 to 0 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Wallowa?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around June 7, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as July 7, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Wallowa?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around September 9. That leaves a growing season of about 91 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Wallowa?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Apr 12 – Apr 26 and transplant them outside about Jun 14 – Jun 21, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Aug 13 – Sep 2.
- How long is the growing season in Wallowa?
- About 91 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~June 7) and the average first fall frost (~September 9). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00358997 (Wallowa, 8.9 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.