Growing Food: Willamette vs Umpqua vs Rogue Valley (Portland, Medford: stats, garden)

[mapmonarch]

Which is the best valley in your opinion for growing all kinds of crops: vegetables, fruit, and grains? Please defend your opinion! Thanks!

[CCCVDUR]

Originally Posted by mapmonarch

Which is the best valley in your opinion for growing all kinds of crops: vegetables, fruit, and grains? Please defend your opinion! Thanks!

Great question. Hopefully C-D regular poster Steve97111 is reading

May I add two others? Applegate Valley, and near Ashland.

FYI - Here's the definitive climate stats from the OSU Oregon Climate Service:

The Climate of Oregon (http://www.ocs.orst.edu/page_links/climate_data_zones/climate_oregon.html - broken link)

[mamh]

Can't wait to see the answer on this one
Its seems like here in the Willamette Valley everything grows well
Our demo Veg Garden aka The Silverton Market Garden at Oregon Gardens, everything
we plant seems to grow well.

[Fiddlehead]

I'm no expert on this topic, but I will say all are pretty good, if you have water. Willamette will grow more things without so much heavy irrigation, especially trees. Down here in the Rogue Valley, irrigation is a must or things dry out very rapidly. But it depends upon the species. Tomatoes and corn like heat, Willamette falls a bit short. Umpqua is a garden spot with slightly warmer summers than Willamette, and considerably longer growing season than the Rogue (higher elevation). My impression is that each area has it's strengths and shortcomings. Heat and late frost in the Rogue, and insufficient heat and possible fungal problems in the Willamette. For these reasons alone, I would vote Umpqua. I too welcome insights from some Oregon master gardener.

[Fiddlehead]

I think that natural and cultural agricultural characteristics are very important considerations for evaluating the present and future characteristics of a region. For instance, Oregon is not Texas, and I suspect that residents of both states are glad they are distinct in many ways. Such considerations set the trajectories of regions, and I would think, are very important things to discuss.

[mdvaden]

Putting aside irrigation costs, etc., I would guess that if someone bought a property in Oregon, they would have more vegetable and fruit alternatives in Rogue Valley or Applegate Valley.

Overall, I think that Willamette Valley has the most good soil. Its virtually a world class agricultural area.

I've gardened near Medford in Applegate Valley, and up near the Portland area, and prefer the northern part of the state myself.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by mdvaden

Putting aside irrigation costs, etc., I would guess that if someone bought a property in Oregon, they would have more vegetable and fruit alternatives in Rogue Valley or Applegate Valley.

Overall, I think that Willamette Valley has the most good soil. Its virtually a world class agricultural area.

I've gardened near Medford in Applegate Valley, and up near the Portland area, and prefer the northern part of the state myself.

The Willamette Valley might not have the best climate for things requiring warm nights and days for more than 90 days, but other than those (corn, melons), you can grow pretty much anything for a very extended season just using row covers and cold frames for the tender plants. Rogue Valley would require something sturdier than a cold frame.

Pretty frequently my problem in Portland was that things grew too well and were hard to keep trimmed back.