What Grows in Deschutes River Woods, Oregon

USDA Zones 6b · 4K acres

Deschutes River Woods, Oregon, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

Reliable performers under these conditions include cabbage, blackberry, california poppy, and collard greens; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Deschutes River Woods, 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 Deschutes River Woods 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 Deschutes River Woods — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Deschutes River Woods — the short answer

Deschutes River Woods, Oregon: USDA zone 6b, about 149 days between hard freezes, across 4K acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
May 13
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 9
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~149
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
4K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are this town’s own 28°F normals: light frosts run a few weeks past them, and tender transplants usually wait 2–3 weeks after the last hard freeze.

Hardiness Zone Range

6b6b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 6b is Deschutes River Woods's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Deschutes River Woods's 149-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Deschutes River Woods

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

Season length

Measured

Deschutes River Woods runs about 149 days between hard freezes — a short growing season.

Long-maturing crops like melons, sweet potatoes, and winter squash can run out of runway before the first hard freeze, ripening late or not at all.

Lead with fast-maturing varieties, and stretch the season on both ends with cold frames, low tunnels, or a greenhouse.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Deschutes River Woods sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b.

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 Deschutes River Woods is in

Deschutes River Woods sits in the Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills — EPA Level III, inside the wider Northwestern Forested Mountains. That is read at Deschutes River Woods's own centroid rather than borrowed from Deschutes County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Deschutes River Woods

Every plant below cleared Deschutes River Woods's own zone 6b and its 149-day season. Each card opens that plant's Oregon profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in OregonZones 2–11Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Oregon blackberry guideZones 5–8Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in OregonZones 6–10Deschutes River Woods's 6b is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Oregon growing notesZones 2–11Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in OregonZones 5–9Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Oregon lavender guideZones 5–8Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kale in OregonZones 2–11Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Cranberry: Oregon growing notesZones 2–7Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
chive, photograph
Growing chive in OregonZones 3–9Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Oregon lentil guideZones 2–11Deschutes River Woods's 149 days clear the ~70 it needs.
fig, photograph
Fig in OregonZones 6–10Deschutes River Woods's 6b is its exact cold limit.
cilantro, photograph
Cilantro: Oregon growing notesZones 2–11Deschutes River Woods's 149 days clear the ~35 it needs.
okra, photograph
Growing okra in OregonZones 2–12Deschutes River Woods's 149 days clear the ~50 it needs.
pumpkin, photograph
Oregon pumpkin guideZones 3–11Deschutes River Woods's 149 days clear the ~40 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
Sweet corn in OregonZones 2–11Deschutes River Woods's 149 days clear the ~65 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Oregon growing notesZones 3–10Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in OregonZones 2–11Deschutes River Woods's 149 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Oregon azalea guideZones 4–8Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in OregonZones 3–8Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Oregon growing notesZones 3–8Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in OregonDeschutes River Woods's 149 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Oregon holly guideZones 5–11Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
honeysuckle, photograph
Honeysuckle in OregonZones 4–9Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Oregon growing notesZones 6–8Deschutes River Woods's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in OregonZones 3–9Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Oregon ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in OregonZones 2–7Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
western red cedar, photograph
Western red cedar: Oregon growing notesZones 4–10Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
berseem clover, photograph
Growing berseem clover in OregonZones 3–9Deschutes River Woods's 149 days clear the ~60 it needs.
sedum groundcover, photograph
Oregon sedum groundcover guideZones 4–9Deschutes River Woods's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Deschutes River Woods?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Apr 15; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near May 13 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 9 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. In a season this compact, fast finishers and cold-hardy greens do the late work, and garlic tucked in before the freeze repays you next summer.

What's on the federal record near Deschutes River Woods

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

  1. 18S/11E-26ADD1Nitrate · 1600 ft
  2. 18S/11E-26ADC1Nitrate · 2100 ft
  3. 18S/12E-30BDD1Nitrate · 1.0 mi
  4. 18S/11E-23CDANitrate · 1.0 mi
  5. 18S/12E-19CCBNitrate · 1.1 mi
  6. 18S/11E-24ADC1Nitrate · 1.1 mi
  7. DESCHUTES COUNTRY STORE INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  8. 18S/11E-24ADB1Nitrate · 1.2 mi
  9. 18S/11E-23CAC1Nitrate · 1.2 mi
  10. INN OF 7TH MT - GAS STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.1 mi
  11. CENTRAL OREGON COMMUNITY COLLEGEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.1 mi
  12. LAVA LAKE LODGEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.3 mi

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

Measured from Deschutes River Woods'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 Deschutes River Woods.

Total Sites

359

within ~10 miles of Deschutes River Woods

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Deschutes River Woods

High1Moderate97Low261

Highest-Severity Sites

Roats Woodside Ranch Ws
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
17S/11E-23bad1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
17S/11E-23bad1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
17S/11E-23cdb1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
17S/11E-23cdb1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Deschutes River Woods, PFAS runs higher than the national average — 3 sites within ~10 miles of Deschutes River Woods. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.

Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Deschutes River Woods

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 Deschutes River Woods average

Your land is one point inside Deschutes River Woods

Everything above resolves to Deschutes River Woods as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 4K acres. 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 Deschutes River Woods Average

Deschutes River Woods Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Deschutes River Woods
  • One soil character for all of Deschutes River Woods
  • Frost dates read at Deschutes River Woods's scale: May 13 to Oct 9

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Deschutes River Woods's 6b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Deschutes River Woods

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

Three things about your lot that Deschutes River Woods averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Deschutes River Woods averages 149Your sun & shade

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

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Deschutes River Woods average

How we know this about Deschutes River Woods

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 Deschutes River Woods’s own record; 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 Deschutes River Woods

When does frost risk typically end in Deschutes River Woods?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Deschutes River Woods typically lands around May 13, 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 Jun 3.

When is the first frost in Deschutes River Woods?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Deschutes River Woods typically arrives around Oct 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Sep 25, so the watching starts about Sep 9 — about 149 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Deschutes River Woods?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Deschutes River Woods sees about 149 frost-free days — roughly May 13 through Oct 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Jun 3 to Sep 25, about 114 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Deschutes River Woods?

The federal record around Deschutes River Woods is a meaningful one — 359 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (181), the nearest Nitrate record about 0.3 miles out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do gardeners stretch the season in Deschutes River Woods?

With about 149 frost-free days between hard freezes, Deschutes River Woods rewards the classic extension moves: floating row cover buys roughly two to four extra weeks at each shoulder — on this season that is a working window nearer 177 to 205 days — and cold frames or low tunnels buy more. Starting transplants indoors ahead of the May 13 hard-freeze normal stretches the season without touching the calendar.

Everything above is measured at Deschutes River Woods's scale — its 6b band and its 149-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Deschutes River Woods'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 Deschutes River Woods’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Deschutes River Woods's own scale — its own ~149-day season between 28°F freezes, the 3,887 acres it covers and 359 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Deschutes River Woods's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Deschutes River Woods's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about May 13 and Oct 9 and the ~149-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 359 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Deschutes River Woods, the closest Nitrate record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Deschutes River Woods's boundary and the 3,887 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~149-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Deschutes River Woods's own centroid, the Eastern Cascades Slopes and FoothillsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Deschutes River Woods's 3,887 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Deschutes County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Deschutes 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 Deschutes County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Deschutes River Woods's 3,887 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Deschutes River Woods you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 3,887 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Nitrate record about 0.3 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 Deschutes River Woods-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address