Can I Grow Almond in Washington?

Almond in Washington — the short answer

Washington is not one climate

Where in Washington Fits Best

Even within Washington's zones 4a-9b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for almond (USDA PHZM 2023):

Zone Comparison

Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.

When to Plant Almond in Washington

Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Whatcom County, not the statewide average.

Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.

Growing Season Fit

The zone check says almond survives winter in part of Washington, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.

GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.

Soil + Drainage Fit

Almond tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-7.5) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Washington. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 6.3 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Washington soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Washington site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.

Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Washington soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

Before you plant almond for food

Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before almond goes in. What follows is Washington’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.

Safe to Grow Here?

What the federal record shows across Washington — and how to grow with it.

Federal record: High

We checked the federal record across Washington — 33,912 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.

The most significant on record: 329 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.

Washington carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.

See every recorded site across Washington on the mapKnow before you grow — the guide

Explore the live map

Underground Storage Tanks16,413Nitrate6,892Brownfields4,796Mining3,881Toxics Release Inventory1,122

Sources Checked

across Washington

Underground Storage Tanks

16,413

Nitrate Monitoring

6,892

Brownfields

4,796

Mining Sites

3,881

Toxics Release Inventory

1,122

Superfund

329

Concentrated Animal Feeding

241

PFAS Sampling

238

Severity Distribution

across Washington

High874Moderate14,834Low18,204

Highest-Severity Sites

A and C

Mining Sites · Past Producer

Airway Heights City of

PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected

Abe Lincoln

Mining Sites · Unknown

Aces Up

Mining Sites · Past Producer

Addie B

Mining Sites · Unknown

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Washington, Mining runs higher than the national average — 3,881 sites across Washington. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Mining: Mining sites — both historic and active — can leach heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury) into soil and water for centuries after operations cease.

Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.

build up with a clean-soil raised bedread your soil before you plantSee what's flagged near Washington

Explore the contamination map around Washington

Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.

What Else to Consider for Almond in Washington

Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Washington growers also need to think about:

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Washington grower, not just almond — is covered on the Washington growing guide.

Timing shifts within Washington

Washington isn't one climate. In Whatcom County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about May 29 — roughly 54 days later than the recorded state median — so plant almond to your county's window, not the statewide date.

Almond needs about 240 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 12 of Washington’s 39 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Lewis County at 243 frost-free days — 3 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.

Across Washington’s 39 counties the frost-free season runs from 131 days in Whatcom County to 300 days in San Juan County — a spread of 169 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Washington county sees 208 frost-free days, which is 32 days short of what almond needs — so on a typical Washington parcel this is a transplant-or-protect crop, not a direct-sow one.

County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Almond's 240-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Almond draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, almond can only work that bloom inside Washington's frost window — roughly 208 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 16 - Apr 15) and closing at the first (Oct 24 - Nov 18), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

Good to Know Before You Plant Almond

Washington Cooperative Extension

For Washington-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for almond, the canonical source is WSU Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Is Almond native to Washington?

No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Almond as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Washington's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Washington natives keeps local pollinators fed too.

Looking for plants that belong here? The Washington growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.

Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.

Common Questions About Growing Almond in Washington