25 Best Vegetables to Grow for Profit in Oregon - ProfitableVenture (2024)

Do you want to start a business farming or cultivating vegetables in Oregon? If YES, here are 25 best, most profitable vegetables to grow in Oregon this year.

Oregon is one of four major world hazelnut growing regions, and produces 95 percent of the domestic hazelnuts in the United States. While the history of wine production in Oregon can be traced to before Prohibition, it became a significant industry beginning in the 1970s. In 2005, Oregon ranked third among U.S. states with 303 wineries.

Oregon’s diverse landscapes provide ideal environments for various types of farming. Land in the Willamette Valley owes its fertility to the Missoula Floods, which deposited lake sediment from Glacial Lake Missoula in western Montana onto the valley floor.

So, if you are interested in cultivating vegetables in Oregon and you are wondering what types of vegetable will be ideal in the state, you need not to wonder anymore because this article will list some of the vegetables that are most suitable to cultivate in Oregon.

25 Best Vegetables to Grow for Profit in Oregon

1. Spinach

Spinach is one of the most ideal crops that can easily be cultivated in any part of Oregon. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. Spinach is a superfood. It is loaded with tons of nutrients in a low – calorie package. Dark, leafy greens like spinach are important for skin, hair, and bone health. They also provide protein, iron, vitamins, and minerals.

2. Lettuce

Another suitable vegetable that grow freely in any part of Oregon is Lettuce. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is an annual plant of the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, such as soups, sandwiches and wraps; it can also be grilled.

3. Kale

Kale or leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (Brassica oleracea) cultivars grown for their edible leaves, although some are used as ornamentals. Kale contains fiber, antioxidants, calcium, vitamins C and K, iron, and a wide range of other nutrients that can help prevent various health problems. Antioxidants help the body remove unwanted toxins that result from natural processes and environmental pressures.

4. Arugula

The climatic condition and the soil texture of Oregon makes it very easy for Arugula to grow easily. Rocket or arugula (American English) is an edible annual plant in the family Brassicaceae used as a leaf vegetable for its fresh, tart, bitter, and peppery flavor.

5. Chard

Another vegetable that can easily be cultivated in Oregon is Chard. Swiss chard (also known simply as chard) is a leafy green vegetable that is related to beets and spinach. It is rich in vitamins A, C and especially K, and it is also a good source of magnesium, iron and potassium. Chard can be steamed or sauteed, and it’s great in soups, stews, casseroles, frittatas and quiches.

6. Collard Greens

Collards are members of the cabbage family (Brassica oleracea), and a staple side dish in Southern cooking. They feature dark green leaves and tough stems that need to be removed before eating. The flavor of collards is a cross between cabbage and hearty kale, similar to Swiss chard.

7. Bok Choi

The climatic condition and the soil texture of Oregon makes it very easy for Bok Choi to grow easily. Bok choy (brassica chinensis) is classified as a cabbage. It does not look like the round European cabbages found in western supermarkets, or to Napa cabbage

8. Mustard

The mustard plant is a plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis in the family Brassicaceae. Mustard seed is used as a spice. The seeds can also be pressed, to give a kind of oil called mustard oil. Some kinds of mustard plants have edible leaves. Interestingly, Oregon is amongst the states in the United States that you can easily cultivate mustard plant.

9. Mizuna

Mizuna, botanically classified as Brassica juncea, is a leafy green belonging to the Brassicaceae or mustard family. There are over sixteen different varieties of Mizuna, and these greens are most commonly grown for commercial salad mixes in Oregon. If you are interested in cultivating Mizuna, then you need to plant your seeds in moist but well – drained soil.

Before planting, loosen the soil to at least 12 inches deep and mix in some manure. Plant the seeds 2 inches apart, ¼ inch deep, and water well. After the seeds have germinated (this should take only a few days), thin the plants to 14 inches apart.

Root Vegetables that can be easily cultivated in Oregon are;

10. Radishes

A radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family. People eat radishes all over the world. It was first grown in Europe in pre – Roman Empire. High on Nutrients: Red radishes are packed with Vitamins E, A, C, B6, and K.

Plus it’s high on antioxidants, fiber, zinc, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, calcium, iron and manganese. And each of these is known to keep our body in good working condition. Some radishes can be harvested within a month of planting from seed due to the favorable climate and soil texture of Oregon.

11. Turnips

Turnip, (Brassica rapa, variety rapa), also known as white turnip, is a hardy biennial plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), cultivated for its fleshy roots and tender growing tops. The turnip is thought to have originated in middle and eastern Asia and is grown throughout the temperate zone. Many vegetable farmers cultivate Turnips in Oregon because the vegetable can easily thrive in the state.

12. Carrots

Carrot (sativus) is a root vegetable, usually orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist. They are a domesticated form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native to Europe and Southwestern Asia. The plant probably originated in Persia and was originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds.

Carrots are a particularly good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. They also have a number of health benefits. They are a weight-loss-friendly food and have been linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye health.

13. Beets

Beets is yet another vegetable that can easily be cultivated in Oregon because of the climatic condition and soil texture of the state. Beet (Beta vulgaris) is a plant with a round or carrot – shaped root. There are various varieties of this plant.

The commonest is red beetroot, a root vegetable eaten. The main difference between Beetroot and Beet is that the Beetroot is a taproot portion of the beet plant (no color indication). Besides being used as a food, beets have uses as a food coloring and as a medicinal plant. They take longer to grow, but also thrive in the cool Spring months.

Other Vegetables that thrive during spring in Oregon include;

14. Peas (‘Sugar Snap’, ‘Snow’, and ‘Shelling’)

Pea, (Pisum sativum), also called garden pea, herbaceous annual plant in the family Fabaceae, grown virtually worldwide for its edible seeds is known to thrive easily in Oregon hence you will find vegetable farmers cultivating the crop in commercial quantities.

Peas can be bought fresh, canned, or frozen, and dried peas are commonly used in soups. They are part of the legume family, which consists of plants that produce pods with seeds inside. Lentils, chickpeas, beans and peanuts are also legumes. However, green peas are commonly cooked and sold as a vegetable.

15. Fava Beans

Fava beans, also known as broad beans, are a springtime crop that is grown and eaten around the world including Oregon. Fresh favas can be eaten raw, cooked, or dried for use later, and the versatile bean can be used for salads, stews, sauces, fillings, snacks, and more. Broad bean is another name for fava bean, which is sometimes known also as a faba, or even as horse bean. The scientific name of fava beans is Vicia faba.

16. Broccoli

Broccoli is yet another vegetable that is cultivated in Oregon in commercial quantities due to the favorable climatic condition and soil texture. Broccolini or baby broccoli is a green vegetable similar to broccoli but with smaller florets and longer, thin stalks. It is a hybrid of broccoli and gai lan (which is sometimes referred to as “Chinese kale” or “Chinese broccoli”), both cultivar groups of Brassica oleracea.

The entire vegetable (leaves, young stems, unopened flower shoots, and flowers) is consumable. Its flavor is sweet, with notes of both broccoli and asparagus, although it is not closely related to the latter. Broccolini is high in vitamin C and contains a significant amount of vitamin A and dietary fiber.

17. Cabbage

Cabbage (comprising several cultivars of Brassica oleracea) is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense – leaved heads. Raw cabbage is 92 percent water, 6 percent carbohydrates, 1 percent protein, and contains negligible fat (table).

In a 100 – gram reference amount, raw cabbage is a rich source of vitamin C and vitamin K, containing 44 percent and 72 percent, respectively, of the Daily Value (DV). Cabbage is also a moderate source (10–19 percent DV) of vitamin B6 and folate, with no other nutrients having significant content per 100 – gram serving.

Interestingly, there are many vegetable farmers who are into the cultivation of Cabbage in Oregon and this is due to the fact that the vegetable can easily thrive in the state.

18. Cilantro

Cilantro refers to the leaves of the coriander plant and the plant can easily be cultivated in Oregon in commercial quantity. It is commonly eaten as a food or used as a spice. Cilantro can also be used as a medicine. Cilantro is taken by mouth for cancer and to remove poisonous metals such as mercury, lead, or aluminum from the body.

Cilantro can be used in a number of ways. The leaves can be enjoyed raw or cooked. It adds excellent flavor to salads, salsa, chutney, pesto, sauces, dips, and dressings. It’s most commonly added just before a dish is served or as a garnish on top because heat diminishes its flavor.

19. Parsley

Parsley is yet another vegetable that can easily be cultivated in Oregon in commercial quatity. Parsley or garden parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae and is widely cultivated as an herb, and a vegetable.

Where it grows as a biennial, in the first year, it forms a rosette of tripinnate leaves, 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long, with numerous 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) leaflets and a taproot used as a food store over the winter. In the second year, it grows a flowering stem with sparser leaves and umbels with yellow to yellowish – green flowers. Parsley is a source of flavonoids and antioxidants, especially luteolin, apigenin, folic acid, vitamin K, vitamin C, and vitamin A.

20. Cucumbers

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely – cultivated creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae gourd family that bears cucumiform fruits, which are used as vegetables. There are three main varieties of cucumber—slicing, pickling, and burpless/seedless—within which several cultivars have been created.

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely grown plant in the family Cucurbitaceae. This family also includes squash. To a botanist, cucumbers are biological fruits even if they are commonly considered vegetables. They can be cooked, eaten raw, or pickled. Many vegetable farmers cultivate cucumbers in Oregon due to the fact that the vegetable can easily thrive in the state.

21. Tomatoes

All across the United States, vegetable farmers are known to cultivate tomatoes in commercial quantities and Oregon is amongst the top states that are into the cultivation of tomatoes. The tomato is the edible, often red, berry of the plant Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant.

The tomato is now grown and eaten around the world. It is used in diverse ways, including raw in salads or in slices, stewed, incorporated into a wide variety of dishes, or processed into ketchup or tomato soup. Unripe green tomatoes can also be breaded and fried, used to make salsa, or pickled. Tomato juice is sold as a drink, and is used in co*cktails such as the Bloody Mary.

22. Potatoes

Many vegetable farmers cultivate potatoes in Oregon due to the fact that the vegetable can easily thrive in the state. The potato is a root vegetable native to the Americas, a starchy tuber of the plant Solanum tuberosum, and the plant itself, a perennial in the family Solanaceae. Potatoes are generally grown from seed potatoes, tubers specifically grown to be free from disease and to provide consistent and healthy plants.

To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown and Oregon is one of them. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth.

23. Green Beans

Another vegetable that can easily be cultivated in Oregon is Green Beans. Green beans are a vegetable and each ½ cup serving can be counted towards your daily recommend intake of fruits and vegetables. Green beans are the unripe, young fruit and protective pods of various cultivars of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).

They are distinguished from the many other varieties of beans in that green beans are harvested and consumed with their enclosing pods, before the bean seeds inside have fully matured.

24. Chili peppers

The chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum which are members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add heat to dishes. The substances giving chili peppers their intensity when ingested. Chili pepper pods are, technically, berries.

When used fresh, they are most often prepared and eaten like a vegetable. Whole pods can be dried and then crushed or ground into chili powder that is used as a spice or seasoning. Chilies can be dried to prolong their shelf life. Chile peppers can also be preserved by brining, immersing the pods in oil, or by pickling.

25. Eggplant

Many vegetable farmers cultivate Eggplant in Oregon due to the fact that the vegetable can easily thrive in the state. The eggplant is a delicate, tropical perennial plant often cultivated as a tender or half – hardy annual in temperate climates.

The stem is often spiny. The flowers are white to purple in color, with a five – lobed corolla and yellow stamens. Eggplant is a high – fiber, low – calorie food that is rich in nutrients and comes with many potential health benefits. From reducing the risk of heart disease to helping with blood sugar control and weight loss, eggplants are a simple and delicious addition to any healthy diet.