tree tomato (Cyphomandra betacea), photographi

Can I Grow Tree Tomato in Oregon?

USDA Zones 5a-10a · Plant zone range 10-13

Conditional — Some Areas

tree tomato (zones 10-13) reaches only part of Oregon (5a-10a): zone 10 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.

One zone short — what would close it

Tree Tomato is hardy to zone 10, and the warmest ground in Oregon is zone 9 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Oregon winter. To grow it here, grow tree tomato in a hoop house or unheated greenhouse — its modeled 1.5-zone lift covers this gap.

A hoop house or unheated greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →

Zone math from 10-13 (plant) against 5-9 (Oregon). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['hoop_house'] (+1.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.

Tree Tomato in Oregon — the short answer

Tree Tomato in Oregon: hardy in zones 10–13, full sun.

Plant zones
10-13
Hardy to zone 10a: Tropical Plants Database (Useful Tropical Plants) lists -2 °C, converted to zone 10a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.
Oregon zones
5a-10a
USDA PHZM 2023
Frost window
Feb 25 - Apr 26 – Oct 19 - Nov 26
NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
Shortest county season
86 days
NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze

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.

Score your parcel · free

Your yard isn't the whole zone.

Oregon spans zones 5a-10a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score tree tomato against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.

We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days

Oregon is not one climate

Oregon’s winter-low ladder runs across 36 counties, from zone 6 in Klamath County to zone 9.5 in Curry County. That is 35°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between tree tomato overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.

6 zonesKlamath County9.5 zonesCurry County

The middle half of 36 counties runs 6.5–8.5 zones, with a median of 7.5 zones — a 3.5-zone span end to end.

Measured across 36 Oregon counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.

Where Tree Tomato Stands in Oregon

Tree Tomato is rated for zones 10–13 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. No Oregon county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Oregon winters, not about tree tomato.

Below the zone 10 floor

36 counties

3 of 36 shown

Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.

County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.

Zone Comparison

Tree Tomato Needs

  • USDA Zones: 10-13
  • Sun: Full Sun

Oregon Has

  • USDA Zones: 5a-10a
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 25 - Apr 26
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 19 - Nov 26
  • Annual Rainfall: 8-90 inches
  • Common Soils: Volcanic, Silt loam (Willamette), Sandy loam

Plant Zone Range (zones 10-13)

10a
13b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Preferred Soil pH

3.5 (Acidic)7.0 (Neutral)9.0 (Alkaline)
Highlighted range: pH 5.8 – 7.5

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 Tree Tomato in Oregon

The frost window

Across Oregon, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 25 and Apr 26, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 19 and Nov 26 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 176-day window you can count on — up to 274 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.

Winter standing

Oregon runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for tree tomato, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether tree tomato is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Oregon; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.

Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Klamath 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.

Soil + Drainage Fit

Tree Tomato likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.8-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Oregon's volcanic and silt loam (willamette) — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6.3 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Oregon soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Oregon site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.

Your land, not the state average

Oregon's soils run mostly silt loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Tree Tomato needs about 7 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how tree tomato performs.

Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.

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. Oregon soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

Before you plant tree tomato 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 tree tomato goes in. What follows is Oregon’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 Oregon — and how to grow with it.

Federal record: High

We checked the federal record across Oregon — 21,752 documented sites across 8 of the 8 source types we track.

The most significant on record: 260 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.

Oregon 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.

Know before you grow — the guide

Sources Checked

across Oregon

Severity Distribution

across Oregon

High556Moderate7,445Low13,751

Highest-Severity Sites

Mining Sites · Past Producer
Mining Sites · Producer
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Mining Sites · Unknown
Mining Sites · Unknown

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Oregon, Mining runs higher than the national average — 3,562 sites across Oregon. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about 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.

Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.

What Else to Consider for Tree Tomato in Oregon

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

West side: excessive rain and overcast skies reduce sun for warm-season crops

East side: arid conditions (8-15 inches rainfall) require irrigation

Slug pressure is extreme in western Oregon

Mountain areas have very short seasons (60-90 frost-free days)

Growing tree tomato here specifically

Tree Tomato wants pH 5.8–7.5 and rates to USDA zones 10–13, but Oregon's soils are dominantly silt loam — the fit is decided by your parcel's own map unit, not the state average.

Match tree tomato to your parcel's SSURGO map unit — test pH and texture, and amend toward its 5.8–7.5 range. How to handle it →

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

Timing shifts within Oregon

Oregon isn't one climate. In Klamath County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Jun 9 — roughly 67 days later than the recorded state median — so plant tree tomato to your county's window, not the statewide date.

County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.

Where in Oregon Tree Tomato Is Zone-Hardy

Tree Tomato is rated for USDA zones 10–13. No Oregon county reaches it. Even Curry County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 9b, sits below the plant’s zone 10 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.

Across those 36 counties Oregon’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6a in Klamath County to zone 9b in Curry County — 3.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 35°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band tree tomato needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.

County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Tree Tomato’s zone 10–13 band: Hardy to zone 10a: Tropical Plants Database (Useful Tropical Plants) lists -2 °C, converted to zone 10a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Tree Tomato draws native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, tree tomato can only work that bloom inside Oregon's frost window — roughly 213 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 25 - Apr 26) and closing at the first (Oct 19 - Nov 26), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

Good to Know Before You Plant Tree Tomato

Tree Tomato is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (leaves, unripe fruit) at a mild level (ASPCA). Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear.

Oregon Cooperative Extension

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

Common Questions About Growing Tree Tomato in Oregon

When can I plant Tree Tomato in Oregon?

Oregon's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 25 and Apr 26, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 19 and Nov 26 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Tree Tomato, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Oregon and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.

What hardiness zone is Tree Tomato grown in across Oregon?

Oregon spans USDA hardiness zones 5a-10a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Tree Tomato carries a range of zones 10-13, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.

How many frost-free days does a typical Oregon site have?

A typical Oregon site sees ~213 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Tree Tomato needs 270+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Klamath, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.

How should I amend the soil for Tree Tomato in Oregon?

Tree Tomato prefers pH 5.8-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Oregon soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.

Will Tree Tomato actually grow on my specific land in Oregon?

State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores tree tomato against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Oregon

State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores tree tomato against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.

Three things about your lot that Oregon tree tomato averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Oregon averages 213Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Oregon — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Oregon tree tomato average

Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →

Cite this dataset

Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643

Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643

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