When to plant sunflower

Tender · frost kills it

Sunfloweris keyed to your local frost dates. The offsets below hold anywhere — but the calendar dates they land on don’t. Enter your ZIP for dates tuned to your city’s nearest NOAA station.

Sunflower planting timeline

Start indoors

3–4 wks before

Direct sow

0–3 wks after

Harvest

70–100 days later

-5 wksLAST SPRING FROST+15 wks

Tender: wait until the danger of frost has passed before planting out.

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Sunflower planting FAQ

When should I start sunflower seeds indoors?

Start sunflower indoors 3–4 weeks before the last spring frost, so seedlings are ready to plant out once the weather warms.

Can I direct sow sunflower?

Yes — you can sow sunflower directly outdoors up to 3 weeks after the last spring frost.

How long does sunflower take to grow?

Sunflower takes about 70–100 days from sowing to harvest, depending on the variety and conditions.

Is sunflower frost-hardy?

Tender: wait until the danger of frost has passed before planting out.

Planting reminders

Never miss a window in your area

An email when it’s time to start seeds, transplant, and sow — timed to your frost dates. Double opt-in, one-click unsubscribe, no spam.

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Planting windows are offsets from your local 1991–2020 NOAA frost normals. How we compute this.