ROOTED IN REAL DATA Historical data. Thoughtful planning. No weather guarantees.
The growing library

When to plant
bulb onions.

Bulbing onions that must be matched to local day length.

Direct sowReviewed
01 / Right crop, right place

Where the timing comes from

Choose the region that actually covers your garden. These source references are not a nationwide planting calendar.

Spring frost-relative reference

Colorado

2–4 weeks before the spring frost reference

The source anchor is the average last spring frost. Use this as an approximate regional starting point.

  • Check garden soil temperature, workable soil and current weather.
  • Protect or delay frost-sensitive plants while frost remains possible.

A NOAA station’s median 32°F freeze date is a different measure. Substituting it is an application calculation, not a published local calendar.

Published regional calendar

Central North Carolina

Use the Central North Carolina calendar, with its separate establishment methods. This is not a calendar for every part of North Carolina.

Published crop row
Onions, bulb
Published regional calendar

Florida

Use the Florida calendar for your specific subregion. Planting months are not interchangeable across the state.

Published crop row
Onions, bulbing
Reviewed Florida rows
North · Central · South

The source uses an older family classification, so its family label may differ from the one shown here.

Outside these regions? Use your local Extension planting guidance. A nearby weather station describes climate; it does not establish whether or when to plant this crop.

02 / Know when the clock starts

How long until harvest?

These ranges start at different stages. Keep the method, region, and crop type attached to every number.

Central North Carolina
75–105days

From planting bulbs

Count from planting bulbs or cloves. A seed-based range is a different starting point.

Source crop: Onions, bulbRead source
Central North Carolina
90–120days

From direct sowing

Count from seed sown directly in the garden.

Source crop: Onions, bulbRead source
03 / Before you plant

The details that matter

Amaryllidaceae

Plan for bulb onions

  • Choose a day-length type suited to your location; Florida guidance uses fall-planted short-day onions.

Maturity references vary with cultivar, harvest size, weather, and establishment method. Keep your seed packet or transplant label alongside the regional calendar.

Soil temperature

35°F

Published germination minimum · Colorado

A source germination minimum, not an optimum or a transplant threshold; do not treat the number as a guarantee.

Read soil-temperature source
Open evidence

Follow the sources.

Selected source facts reviewed . This is our review date, not the sources’ publication date.

How we use the data
  1. NC State Extension · Central North Carolina Planting Calendar
  2. Colorado State University Extension · Vegetable Planting Guide
  3. UF/IFAS Extension · Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide
  4. Iowa State University Extension · All About Onions