What Grows in Aloha, Oregon

USDA Zones 8b · 5K acres

Aloha, Oregon, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

These conditions suit cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens — a starting list any specific site will trim or extend with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Aloha, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Aloha lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

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

No card required · your full report in seconds

Aloha — the short answer

Aloha, Oregon: USDA zone 8b, about 274 days between hard freezes, across 5K acres of town.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 22
Washington County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 23
Washington County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~274
Washington County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
5K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are Washington County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

8b8b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8b is Aloha's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Aloha's 274-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Aloha

Each reading below is measured for Aloha itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

From county records

Aloha runs about 274 days between hard freezes (read from Washington County, the closest normal to Aloha) — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Aloha sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Aloha is in

Aloha sits in the Willamette Valley — EPA Level III, inside the wider Marine West Coast Forest. That is read at Aloha's own centroid rather than borrowed from Washington County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Aloha

Every plant below cleared Aloha's own zone 8b and its 274-day season. Each card opens that plant's Oregon profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in OregonZones 2–11Aloha's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Oregon fig guideZones 6–10Aloha's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in OregonZones 6–10Aloha's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Oregon growing notesZones 2–11Aloha's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in OregonZones 7–10Aloha's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Oregon rosemary guideZones 8–10Aloha's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in OregonZones 2–11Aloha's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate: Oregon growing notesZones 7–10Aloha's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in OregonZones 5–8Aloha's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Oregon lentil guideZones 2–11Aloha's 274 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in OregonZones 5–10Aloha's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: Oregon growing notesZones 2–12Aloha's 274 days clear the ~50 it needs.
almond, photograph
Growing almond in OregonZones 5–9Aloha's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
Oregon potato guideZones 2–11Aloha's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in OregonZones 3–11Aloha's 274 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Oregon growing notesZones 3–10Aloha's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in OregonZones 2–11Aloha's 274 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Oregon apache plume guideZones 5–11Aloha's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in OregonZones 3–8Aloha's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Oregon growing notesZones 3–8Aloha's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in OregonAloha's 274 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Oregon holly guideZones 5–11Aloha's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in OregonZones 7–10Aloha's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Oregon growing notesZones 6–8Aloha's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in OregonZones 5–11Aloha's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
Oregon pearl millet guideZones 5–11Aloha's 274 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in OregonZones 5–11Aloha's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Oregon growing notesZones 4–10Aloha's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in OregonZones 2–11Aloha's 274 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Oregon liriope guideZones 5–11Aloha's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Aloha?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 25; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 22 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 23 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the calendar nearly circles: cool-season crops take the winter shift, and the next window is always close.

Documented around Aloha

Survey cells within 31 miles of Aloha checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 536 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Aloha

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Aloha. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. MANOR HOMESUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  2. PONDEROSA PROVISIONERS INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  3. BEAVERTON SD 48 KINNAMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLBrownfields · 1000 ft
  4. CAIN'S SPARKLE WASHUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  5. ALOHA CHEVRONUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  6. OREILLY AUTO PARTS STORE NO 3809Brownfields · 1400 ft
  7. RELIABLE TRANSMISSIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  8. UNOCAL 4126Underground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  9. ODOTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1600 ft
  10. ALOHA WELDING INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  11. HARRIS ENTERPRISES INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  12. CLASSIC COLLISION - ALOHABrownfields · 1900 ft

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Aloha's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Aloha.

Total Sites

2,571

within ~10 miles of Aloha

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

23 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Aloha

High5Moderate543Low2,023

Highest-Severity Sites

Sherwood, City of
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
01N/01W-31acc01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well: Test Hole Not Completed As a Well
01N/01W-31acc01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well: Test Hole Not Completed As a Well
01N/02W-17ACC
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
01N/02W-17ACC
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Aloha, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 185 sites within ~10 miles of Aloha. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Aloha

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Aloha average

Your land is one point inside Aloha

Everything above resolves to Aloha as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 5K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Washington County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Aloha Average

Aloha Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Aloha
  • One soil character for all of Aloha
  • Frost dates read at Aloha's scale: Feb 22 to Nov 23

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Aloha's 8b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Aloha

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Aloha, Oregon — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Aloha averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Aloha averages 274Your sun & shade

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

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Aloha average

How we know this about Aloha

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Washington County’s record, because none resolves here; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Aloha

When does frost risk typically end in Aloha?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Aloha typically lands around Feb 22, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about Mar 15.

When is the first frost in Aloha?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Aloha typically arrives around Nov 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 9, so the watching starts about Oct 24 — about 274 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Aloha?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Aloha sees about 274 frost-free days — roughly Feb 22 through Nov 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 15 to Nov 9, about 239 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Aloha?

The federal record around Aloha runs heavier than most — 2,571 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (1,269), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 miles out — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Aloha?

From about Oct 24 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Nov 23 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Nov 23. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Aloha's scale — its 8b band and its 274-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Aloha's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Aloha’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Aloha's own scale — the 4,671 acres it covers and 2,571 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Aloha's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 2,571 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Aloha, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Aloha's boundary and the 4,671 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~274-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Aloha's own centroid, the Willamette ValleyUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Aloha checked, none carrying a detectionlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Aloha has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Washington County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Aloha's 4,671 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Washington County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Washington County
  • The growing challenges every Oregon grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Oregon
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Washington County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Aloha's 4,671 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Aloha you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 4,671 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Aloha-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address