When to Plant Green Onions

Sow green onions outside from 4 weeks before to 2 weeks after your last frost, and again 9 to 11 weeks before your first fall frost for a fall crop.

Green onions at a glance

Sow outside: from 4 weeks before to 2 weeks after your last frost
Fall sowing: 9 to 11 weeks before your first fall frost
Time to harvest: 60 to 75 days from sowing
Harvest lasts: about 6 weeks
Spacing: 16 per square foot
Frost: Takes hard frosts

Growing green onions

Green onions, also called scallions or bunching onions, grow from seed sown straight in the bed and are ready in about two months. They take little room and tuck in well between slower crops.

Dates by hardiness zone

Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.

When to plant green onions in each USDA hardiness zone
Zone	Sow	Sow for fall	Harvest
Zone 3a	Apr 30 – Jun 11	Jun 29 – Jul 13	Jun 29 – Oct 9
Zone 3b	Apr 19 – May 31	Jul 10–24	Jun 18 – Aug 14 · Sep 8 – Oct 20
Zone 4a	Apr 14 – May 26	Jul 13–27	Jun 13 – Aug 9 · Sep 11 – Oct 23
Zone 4b	Apr 10 – May 22	Jul 16–30	Jun 9 – Aug 5 · Sep 14 – Oct 26
Zone 5a	Apr 5 – May 17	Jul 20 – Aug 3	Jun 4 – Jul 31 · Sep 18 – Oct 30
Zone 5b	Apr 3 – May 15	Jul 25 – Aug 8	Jun 2 – Jul 29 · Sep 23 – Nov 4
Zone 6a	Apr 1 – May 13	Jul 31 – Aug 14	May 31 – Jul 27 · Sep 29 – Nov 10
Zone 6b	Mar 26 – May 7	Aug 6–20	May 25 – Jul 21 · Oct 5 – Nov 16
Zone 7a	Mar 19 – Apr 30	Aug 9–23	May 18 – Jul 14 · Oct 8 – Nov 19
Zone 7b	Mar 8 – Apr 19	Aug 16–30	May 7 – Jul 3 · Oct 15 – Nov 26
Zone 8a	Mar 1 – Apr 12	Aug 22 – Sep 5	Apr 30 – Jun 26 · Oct 21 – Dec 2
Zone 8b	Feb 17 – Mar 31	Aug 28 – Sep 11	Apr 18 – Jun 14 · Oct 27 – Dec 8
Zone 9a	Feb 2 – Mar 16	Sep 10–24	Apr 3 – May 30 · Nov 9 – Dec 21
Zone 9b	Jan 4 – Feb 15	Sep 29 – Oct 13	Mar 5 – May 1 · Nov 28 – Jan 9
Zone 10a	Dec 27 – Feb 7	Oct 11–25	Feb 25 – Apr 23 · Dec 10 – Jan 21
Zones 10b–11b	Frost is rare here, so grow green onions in the cooler months, from fall to early spring.