Broad state garden guide
What to grow in Washington
Washington has more than one climate. This page keeps only crops supported across at least 95 percent of the ZIP areas with both zone and frost records. Your ZIP gives a more useful answer.
Washington garden snapshot
- Most common zones
- Zone 8, Zone 7, and Zone 9
- The three zones covering the most supported ZIP-area centers.
- Frost-free span
- About 130 to 255 days
- The middle 80 percent across 577 supported ZIP areas. The middle value is 189 days.
- Broad crop matches
- 15
- A cautious statewide list. Local choices can be wider.
Food crops to explore
These broad matches are meant to be safe across most of the state. They are not planting dates, and a crop missing here may still be a good fit in your part of Washington.
Bell Pepper
A sweet, warm-season pepper that can be picked green or left to ripen to its final color.
- Harvest
- 70 to 85 daysfrom transplant
- Effort
- Season
- Warm
Broccoli
A cool-season cabbage-family crop grown for tight green flower buds.
- Harvest
- 50 to 85 daysfrom transplant
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Cabbage
A cool-season leaf crop that wraps its inner leaves into a firm head.
- Harvest
- 60 to 100 daysfrom transplant
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Carrot
A root crop that asks for little except loose, stone free ground and patience while it germinates.
- Harvest
- 70 to 80 days
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Cilantro
A cool-weather herb with fresh leaves called cilantro and dried seeds called coriander.
- Harvest
- 45 to 80 days
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Cucumber
A warm-season vine grown for crisp green fruit that is picked before it turns yellow.
- Harvest
- 50 to 70 days
- Effort
- Season
- Warm
Green Beans
A warm-season crop picked while the pods are crisp and the seeds inside are still small.
- Harvest
- 50 to 60 days
- Effort
- Season
- Warm
Kale
A cold-tough leafy green that can keep making harvests well into fall.
- Harvest
- 50 to 55 days
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Lettuce
A fast, cool weather leaf crop that you can pick from for weeks. It is at its best in spring and autumn, and turns bitter in a hot, dry spell.
- Harvest
- 50 to 70 days
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Peas
A cool-season vine grown for sweet seeds or tender edible pods.
- Harvest
- 55 to 70 days
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Radish
A quick, cool-season root crop that is ready in weeks when soil stays loose and moist.
- Harvest
- 25 to 35 days
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Spinach
A fast, cool-season leaf crop that tastes best before warm, long days make it flower.
- Harvest
- 37 to 45 days
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Strawberry
A low perennial that fruits for years once established. The first summer is about getting the plants settled; the real crop comes after that.
- Harvest
- 300 to 400 daysfrom transplant
- Effort
- Season
- Cool
Thyme
A small woody evergreen herb that thrives in sun and dry, sharply drained soil.
- Harvest
- Year after year
- Effort
- Season
- Warm
Zucchini
A fast, warm-season summer squash picked while the skin and seeds are still tender.
- Harvest
- 50 to 65 daysfrom transplant
- Effort
- Season
- Warm
Pick your ZIP for local planting dates
Optional local dates
Optional local datesGet planting dates for where you live
Save a city or a U.S. ZIP so we can turn local frost records into useful dates. Every crop guide still works without this.
A U.S. ZIP uses official NOAA frost records. Other countries use weather-station records, or a climate reconstruction where stations are missing. Coordinates are used once and not stored. We save only a place label and climate summary in a private browser cookie. You can clear it anytime.