DibbleGrowing sunflowers: from seed to harvest
Sow sunflowers around your last frost date. Stagger plantings every couple of weeks for blooms all summer.
Planting dates for sunflowers by zone
| Zone | Start seeds indoors | Sow or transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | not needed | May 15 | August 3 |
| Zone 4 | not needed | May 10 | July 29 |
| Zone 5 | not needed | April 30 | July 19 |
| Zone 6 | not needed | April 21 | July 10 |
| Zone 7 | not needed | April 10 | June 29 |
| Zone 8 | not needed | March 28 | June 16 |
| Zone 9 | not needed | March 1 | May 20 |
| Zone 10 | not needed | January 31 | April 21 |
| Zone 11 | not needed | January 1 | March 22 |
These dates use typical frost dates for each zone. Dibble tunes them to your exact ZIP and lets you adjust frost dates for your own yard.
Companion plants
Good neighbors for Sunflower:
Better kept apart:
Family and rotation
Sunflower is in the asters family. Lettuce and many flowers. Marigolds and zinnias are excellent companions throughout the garden. Learn about crop rotation.
Related crops
Lettuce
When to plantDahlia
When to plantZinnia
When to plantMarigold
When to plantCosmos
When to plantCalendula
When to plant
Questions
When should I plant sunflowers?
It depends on your zone. Sunflower is a tender crop, so the timing follows your last spring frost. Look up your zone in the table below for exact start, sow, and harvest dates, or open Dibble and enter your ZIP to get your own calendar.
How long does it take to grow sunflowers?
About 80 days from sowing to the first harvest, with a picking window of roughly 21 days after that.
What grows well with sunflowers?
Good companions include Sweet Corn, Cucumber. Keep it away from Potato.
Plant at the right time this season
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