🌻 When to Plant Sunflowers
Direct sow after last frost; attracts pollinators and birds
📅 Planting Calendar by USDA Zone
Sunflowers is a warm-season crop — plant it after your last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, and start seeds indoors a few weeks ahead for a head start. Find the exact start-indoors, transplant, and direct-sow dates for your USDA zone in the table below.
Select your zone to highlight your dates. All dates are calculated from each zone's average frost dates — see how we calculate them.
| Zone | Last Frost | Start Indoors | Transplant | Direct Sow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2A | May 30 | May 16 | May 30 | Jun 6 |
| Zone 3B | May 15 | May 1 | May 15 | May 22 |
| Zone 4A | May 8 | Apr 24 | May 8 | May 15 |
| Zone 4B | May 1 | Apr 17 | May 1 | May 8 |
| Zone 5A | Apr 25 | Apr 11 | Apr 25 | May 2 |
| Zone 5B | Apr 18 | Apr 4 | Apr 18 | Apr 25 |
| Zone 6A | Apr 21 | Apr 7 | Apr 21 | Apr 28 |
| Zone 6B | Apr 10 | Mar 27 | Apr 10 | Apr 17 |
| Zone 7A | Apr 5 | Mar 22 | Apr 5 | Apr 12 |
| Zone 7B | Mar 28 | Mar 14 | Mar 28 | Apr 4 |
| Zone 8A | Mar 20 | Mar 6 | Mar 20 | Mar 27 |
| Zone 8B | Mar 12 | Feb 26 | Mar 12 | Mar 19 |
| Zone 9A | Feb 28 | Feb 14 | Feb 28 | Mar 7 |
| Zone 9B | Feb 15 | Feb 1 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 |
| Zone 10A | Feb 1 | Jan 18 | Feb 1 | Feb 8 |
| Zone 10B | Jan 15 | Jan 1 | Jan 15 | Jan 22 |
| Zone 11A | Jan 1 | Dec 18 | Jan 1 | Jan 8 |
Sunflowers are easy, dramatic, and multi-purpose — they attract pollinators, provide seeds, and make great cut flowers.
Top Growing Tips
- Direct sow after last frost — they grow fast and don’t need a head start
- Tall varieties need wind protection or staking
- Plant in succession for weeks of blooming
- Branching varieties produce many smaller flowers instead of one big head
- Leave seed heads for birds in fall or harvest for roasting
Companion Planting
Good companions: cucumbers, corn, beans, lettuce (shade from tall varieties)
Avoid planting near: potatoes (may inhibit growth), pole beans (compete for light)
Harvest Timeline
Flowering in 55-75 days; seeds ready when back of head turns brown
Growing sunflowers in your region?
These dates come from your zone's frost windows. For the full month-by-month plan — succession sowing, variety picks, and timing tuned to your climate, not just your zone — our regional vegetable-gardening guides cover your area start to finish.
Find your regional growing guide