Does Roseburg have a better climate than Medford? (Grants Pass, Winston: for sale, renting)

[Dean Trails]

Would Roseburg be a better place to grow frost-tender plans than say Medford? I understand it does snow in both. Any gardener thoughts out there?
Are summers warmer and more humid in Medford?

[davefr]

Medford is definatley warmer.

[backdrifter]

Medford is warmer. Hotter would probably be a better term. Medford is also bone dry with 19 inches average rainfall per year. Neither are humid ever. I think frost-tender plants would probably do better in Medford though. I've grown frost-sensitive plants in Grants Pass (sort of an in between climate between Roseburg and Medford) and they're usually fine most of the time. I have had to make sure my tomato plants were covered before it got dark on occasion though. I usually am not growing them in winter, however...

[Dean Trails]

Everything is so much greener in Roseburg. It must be the extra water. But, I never thought Medford was that dry. But you are correct it appears to have a mediterranean climate like California. Wonder if oranges grow there. You never really know a place until you have been there through all the seasons.

I would suppose a swimming pool would be an ok investment in Medford!

[Steve97415]

Roseburg is in Sunset Zone 6 and so has a longer growing season than Medford's in Sunset Zone 7 (210 days as compared to 145 in Medford). It also has a lower total freeze liability. Medford is more than 1000 ft. higher in elevation than Roseburg and is more of a mid-elevation Mediterranean climate whereas Roseburg is an inter-range river valley climate. As you can see in the following graphs, there is a 60% probability that Roseburg will not get below 24F in any given year. Medford only shows a 30% probability that it will not get below 20F.
Medford's summers, though shorter, are hotter and drier. Medford edges out Roseburg, then, for total number of growing-degree days (3198 as opposed to 3055 in Roseburg). That's not a significant difference, though. Roseburg's longer growing season makes it a better gardening climate for most things. The Umpqua Valley always produces the first tomatoes in Oregon.

[desertman]

Ive lived in the Roseburg area for 6 years. the weather hear is alot warmer in the winter. rarely does it frost around here. i live at about 900 feet, had abit of snow this year but it was always a wet snow. guess we did have a couple of weeks of 20s but that was unusual. the melrose area to the west is where alot of berry and fruit farms are but its expensive out there.
my favorite area around here is glide and idlyld, roseburg has alot of fog and surrounding area, but stops just short of glide. i hatr the wet so im out of here. other good areas around here are green and winston and out torwards 10 mile, west of sutherlin is good too.

[Dean Trails]

Originally Posted by desertman

Ive lived in the Roseburg area for 6 years. the weather hear is alot warmer in the winter. rarely does it frost around here. i live at about 900 feet, had abit of snow this year but it was always a wet snow. guess we did have a couple of weeks of 20s but that was unusual. the melrose area to the west is where alot of berry and fruit farms are but its expensive out there.
my favorite area around here is glide and idlyld, roseburg has alot of fog and surrounding area, but stops just short of glide. i hatr the wet so im out of here. other good areas around here are green and winston and out torwards 10 mile, west of sutherlin is good too.

Did you ever get over to the Applegate Valley? I heard it is pretty idyllic and the weather is better than Roseburg.
I didn't know that Roseburg had fog. The times I have been there it was just a slow drizzle.
I will check out Winston and those other towns, Thanks!
Are you moving on to the desert?

[desertman]

never got over to applegate valley much, my father was born in rosebueg back in 1913, said it was foggy then and its still foggy today. dont get me wrong, it is beautiful here. make sure you check out glide. yes moving to the desert, spent some time in central oregon and love the high desert. in mud up to my knees here, just tired of the wet. good place to grow stuff though.

[mermaidmichelle]

the weather can vary a lot even within a small area. I live in Winston and was picking green beans until the week before thanksgiving. The CSA (community supported agriculture) that I get most of my veggies from is only 3-4 miles away and they lost their green beans due to an early freeze at the beginning of September. But in general, I think Roseburg is milder than Medford. It gets cold here, but rarely freezes.

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by Dean Trails

Did you ever get over to the Applegate Valley? I heard it is pretty idyllic and the weather is better than Roseburg.
I didn't know that Roseburg had fog. The times I have been there it was just a slow drizzle.
I will check out Winston and those other towns, Thanks!
Are you moving on to the desert?

We still have a manufactured home and acre we are now renting in Applegate Valley. Was for sale - and may be again - but not at the moment. It's fun to swing by and check the place out on my way to the redwoods. The valley is a pretty nifty looking place. At near 28 inches of rain per year and a long warm season, it's pretty decent. Roseburg is prettier than Medford, but Applegate Valley more so than Roseburg.

Wikipedia has a couple of images I took on this page:

Applegate Valley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Enlarge and take a peek. The second photo is a view from hilltop looking west.

Many evenings had a cool breeze in summer. Little fog - nothing like the center of Medford. Some snow - but not a lot. And we could be in Medford within 15 minutes. 10 minutes to Jacksonville, and in 5 more into the west side of Medford. So shopping was close.