2025 Planting Guide – Zone 7/8

According to the USDA Zone map, the Willamette Valley is considered Zone 8, or more specifically 8b (due to average low temps). Here where I live though, our last frost dates are usually around Mother’s Day (which is more like zone 7!). Warm summer crops need soil temps in the 60’s – 70’s, which we are hard pressed to have until late May/early June really. In the Autumn, we’ve had frosts happen mid October so I use that as the guidelines on the other end of things.
Additionally, I found this website which actually puts us in Zone 6 here (their table stating last frost date as May 15, and first frost date as Oct 15, which is more what we are). I swear no site can agree on anything, and then throw in microclimates haha. I also like to follow the Oregon State University Extension Monthly Garden Calendar for ideas as well. Portland Nursery has a great resource for when to plant and I used it to also fill in this chart (especially with the best ways to plant and the less great ways, but they can still be done).

Now we will throw in Moon Phase gardening. Plant leafy vegetables and grasses (including corn, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, etc) during the early waxing moon (New moon through First Quarter moon). Plant annuals with seeds in the fruit (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squashes, melons, etc) during the later waxing moon (First Quarter moon through the Full moon). Plant root crops (onions, garlic, beets, carrots, etc), bulbs, tubers, perennials, trees, shrubs during a early waning moon (Full moon through the Last Quarter moon). Do weeding, mulching, maintenance, etc during the later waning moon (Last Quarter moon through the New moon).
Now you can take it another step further if you’re into astrology and add in the zodiac sign the moon is in along with it’s phase. That’s just more complicated than I want to get, however, so I just use the phases and what time I have available. Good enough!

(If you see BOLD, that means it’s the best time to plant it. If you see ITALICS, that means it’s not the most ideal time to plant that item, but it can be done.)

Month	*Best Moon Phase Dates to Plant*	*What to Plant*
Dec	After 3:14am Dec 5th to before 12:52am Dec 11th	Outdoors: trees & shrubs Prune Chrysanthemums after blooms spent
Dec	After 12:52am Dec 12th to before 5:43am Dec 19th	Let Garden Rest. Mulch if needed.
Dec	After 5:43am Dec 20th to before 11:10pm Dec 26th	N/A
Dec	After 11:10pm Dec 27th to before 2:02pm Jan 2nd	N/A