What Grows in Warm Beach, Washington

USDA Zones 8b · 3K acres

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

A short list that earns its place here — cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens — with any one site's soil, sun, and drainage making the final cut.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Warm Beach, 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 Warm Beach 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 Warm Beach — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Warm Beach — the short answer

Warm Beach, Washington: USDA zone 8b, about 208 days between hard freezes, across 3K acres of town.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 15
Snohomish County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 9
Snohomish County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~208
Snohomish County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
3K 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 Snohomish 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 Warm Beach's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Warm Beach's 208-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Warm Beach

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

Season length

From county records

Warm Beach runs about 208 days between hard freezes (read from Snohomish County, the closest normal to Warm Beach) — a long growing season.

There is slack for succession plantings and slow-finishing crops: many vegetables can be sown twice, and the heat-lovers have time to ripen fully.

Plan a second sowing of quick crops after the first comes out, and use the fall window most gardeners let sit idle.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Warm Beach 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 Warm Beach is in

Warm Beach sits in the Puget Lowland — EPA Level III, inside the wider Marine West Coast Forest. That is read at Warm Beach's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Snohomish County is mostly North Cascades. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Warm Beach

Every plant below cleared Warm Beach's own zone 8b and its 208-day season. Each card opens that plant's Washington profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in WashingtonZones 2–11Warm Beach's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Washington fig guideZones 6–10Warm Beach's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in WashingtonZones 6–10Warm Beach's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Washington growing notesZones 2–11Warm Beach's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in WashingtonZones 7–10Warm Beach's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Washington rosemary guideZones 8–10Warm Beach's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in WashingtonZones 2–11Warm Beach's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear: Washington growing notesZones 5–10Warm Beach's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in WashingtonZones 5–8Warm Beach's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Washington lentil guideZones 2–11Warm Beach's 208 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate in WashingtonZones 7–10Warm Beach's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: Washington growing notesZones 2–12Warm Beach's 208 days clear the ~50 it needs.
grape, photograph
Growing grape in WashingtonZones 6–9Warm Beach's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
Washington potato guideZones 2–11Warm Beach's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in WashingtonZones 3–11Warm Beach's 208 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Washington growing notesZones 3–10Warm Beach's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in WashingtonZones 2–11Warm Beach's 208 days clear the ~70 it needs.
holly, photograph
Washington holly guideZones 5–11Warm Beach's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in WashingtonZones 3–8Warm Beach's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Washington growing notesZones 3–8Warm Beach's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in WashingtonWarm Beach's 208 days clear the ~50 it needs.
mountain laurel, photograph
Washington mountain laurel guideZones 5–11Warm Beach's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
scarlet runner bean, photograph
Scarlet runner bean in WashingtonZones 7–11Warm Beach's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Washington growing notesZones 6–8Warm Beach's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in WashingtonZones 4–10Warm Beach's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
Washington pearl millet guideZones 5–11Warm Beach's 208 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in WashingtonZones 5–11Warm Beach's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
live oak, photograph
Live oak: Washington growing notesZones 7–10Warm Beach's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in WashingtonZones 2–11Warm Beach's 208 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Washington liriope guideZones 5–11Warm Beach's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Warm Beach?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 18; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 15 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 9 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the season winds down slowly: late sowings, a real autumn harvest, and garlic in the ground before the first hard freeze.

What's on the federal record near Warm Beach

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

  1. SNOHOMISH COUNTYUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  2. 31N/04E-20E01Nitrate · 0.7 mi
  3. 31N/04E-18E01Nitrate · 0.8 mi
  4. WARM BEACH GROCERYUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  5. 31N/04E-18C01Nitrate · 0.8 mi
  6. 31N/03E-24G01Nitrate · 0.9 mi
  7. 31N/03E-24Q01Nitrate · 1.1 mi
  8. CLIFF ROBERTSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.1 mi
  9. STANWOOD PRINT 472 MP 55.6 LS50 2ND SUBUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.1 mi
  10. WARM BEACH HEALTH CARE CENTERUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.1 mi
  11. WARM BEACH CHRISTIAN CAMP & CONFERENCE CENTERUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  12. 31N/04E-07N02Nitrate · 1.4 mi

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

Measured from Warm Beach'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 Warm Beach.

Total Sites

420

within ~10 miles of Warm Beach

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

25 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Warm Beach

High0Moderate249Low171

Highest-Severity Sites

30N/04E-01e01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
30N/04E-01e01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
30N/04E-03p01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
30N/04E-03p01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
30N/04E-04d01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Warm Beach, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Warm Beach — PFAS (7 sites) and Nitrate (182 sites). 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.

Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.

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

Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Warm Beach

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 Warm Beach average

Your land is one point inside Warm Beach

Everything above resolves to Warm Beach as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 3K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Snohomish 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 Warm Beach Average

Warm Beach Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Warm Beach
  • One soil character for all of Warm Beach
  • Frost dates read at Warm Beach's scale: Apr 15 to Nov 9

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Warm Beach

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Warm Beach averages 208Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Warm Beach

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 Snohomish 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 Warm Beach

When does frost risk typically end in Warm Beach?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Warm Beach typically lands around Apr 15, 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 May 6.

When is the first frost in Warm Beach?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Warm Beach typically arrives around Nov 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 26, so the watching starts about Oct 10 — about 208 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Warm Beach?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Warm Beach sees about 208 frost-free days — roughly Apr 15 through Nov 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 6 to Oct 26, about 173 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Warm Beach?

The federal record around Warm Beach is a meaningful one — 420 documented sites, mostly Nitrate entries (182), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.6 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 I protect my plants from frost in Warm Beach?

From about Oct 10 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 9 (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 9. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Warm Beach's scale — its 8b band and its 208-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Warm Beach'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 Warm Beach’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Warm Beach's own scale — the 2,790 acres it covers and 420 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Warm Beach's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 420 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Warm Beach, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.6 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Warm Beach's boundary and the 2,790 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~208-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Warm Beach sits in the Puget Lowland — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Warm Beach has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Snohomish County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Warm Beach's 2,790 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Snohomish County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Snohomish County
  • The growing challenges every Washington grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Washington
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Snohomish County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Warm Beach's 2,790 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Warm Beach you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 2,790 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.6 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 Warm Beach-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address