Rainline GardenAbout Rainline Garden
A free planting calendar built for Pacific Northwest gardens, not adapted from a national chart.
National planting guides treat the whole country the same way. The Northwest doesn't cooperate: coastal gardens rarely frost but never get hot, west-side valleys have long seasons and cold spring soil, and the high desert can frost in July. Rainline Garden gives each area its own dates, built from NOAA weather records and Oregon State University Extension guidance.
Who writes Rainline Garden
Two Oregon gardeners with different strengths: Jigmey covers vegetables and planting dates, and Elaine covers soil, perennials, herbs and native plants.
Vegetables and planting dates
Jigmey Dorjee
Experienced home gardener
- Grew up in Oregon
- Years of growing vegetables at home
- Checks dates against NOAA and OSU Extension
Jigmey Dorjee grew up in Oregon, where gardening means working with the weather: cold, wet springs, dry summers and long, mild falls. He's an experienced home gardener who has grown his own vegetables for years, and he knows firsthand that a Northwest garden runs on a different calendar than the national planting charts. He writes about vegetables and planting timing for Rainline Garden and checks the advice against NOAA weather records and Oregon State University Extension guidance.
Soil, perennials and native plants
Elaine Holloway
Soil, native plants and perennials
- Born and raised in the Portland area
- Studied environmental science at Portland State
- Focus: soil health, native and pollinator plants
Elaine Holloway was born and raised in the greater Portland area, where she grew up helping family tend backyard vegetable plots, native plant borders and container gardens. A lifelong gardener, she focuses on regional horticulture: building healthy soil, managing moisture through wet Northwest winters and dry summers, choosing native and climate-adapted plants, and adding pollinator-friendly, low-maintenance plantings to home gardens. She studied environmental science with a focus on horticulture at Portland State University, including plant ecology, sustainable agriculture and native plants. Where Jigmey covers vegetables and planting dates, Elaine covers the soil underneath them and the perennials, herbs and flowers around them.
How we make this site
- Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the weather station nearest each town.
- Planting windows follow Oregon State University Extension guidance for each crop, counted from those frost dates.
- Articles combine that research with hands-on growing experience. Each one is checked against the sources before it's published and updated when the guidance changes.
- Corrections are welcome. If a date doesn't match your garden, tell us and we'll check it.
Who owns the site
Rainline Garden is owned and operated by X Ventures LLC. The site is free and supported by advertising and affiliate links, which never decide what we recommend. It isn't affiliated with NOAA, Oregon State University or Washington State University.
Questions or corrections: info@rainlinegarden.org.