One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of getting a good idea when you can plant neeps is to use the USDA zone info for Portland.

Planting Calendar for Neeps

Frost tolerance for neeps:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since neeps are not cold tolerant you really should wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant neeps in Portland is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant neeps and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your neeps may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your neeps indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Portland the average date of last frost happens on February 15. You should expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Portland and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Portland last frost occurs after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your neeps in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Portland

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Portland

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Portland.