When to sow sunflowers
In zone 8, most of the UK: sow direct from April to June. First harvest about 90 days later.
Growing stages
Sunflowers: calendar by hardiness zone
| Zone | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | ||||||
| Zone 7 | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | |||||
| Zone 8reference | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | |||||
| Zone 9 | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | ||||
| Zone 10 | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting | Sowing or planting, Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest |
- Zone 6
- −23 to −18 °C (−10 to 0 °F): high mountains
- Zone 7
- −18 to −12 °C (0 to 10 °F): upland Britain, eastern France, the Alps
- Zone 8
- −12 to −7 °C (10 to 20 °F): most of the UK and France
- Zone 9
- −7 to −1 °C (20 to 30 °F): south-west England, Brittany, Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts
- Zone 10
- −1 to 4 °C (30 to 40 °F): Isles of Scilly, the French Riviera, coastal Corsica
Indicative months. A cold year or a garden at altitude shifts everything by a month; watch the frosts too.
Sunflowers in practice
- Spacing
- 40 cm along the row, 50 cm between rows
- Sun
- full sun
- Watering
- moderate
- Difficulty
- easy
- In a pot
- no
- Support
- none
- Family
- Daisy family (Asteraceae)
- Watch for
- birds
Good companions for sunflowers
none noted
Keep apart
Questions about sunflowers
When to sow sunflowers?
In zone 8: sow direct from April to June. The four other zones are in the calendar above; at altitude or after a long winter, aim for the end of the window.
How long until harvest?
About 90 days after sowing in zone 8, then the harvest lasts about 20 days.
How far apart?
40 cm between plants along the row and 50 cm between rows.
Can you grow sunflowers in a pot?
Open ground is better: the crop needs room and depth that a pot does not give.
What to plant nearby?
Good companions: none noted. Keep apart: potato.
Updated 20 October 2026, Hortipix catalogue version 1. Windows still being checked against Le Guide Clause, Vilmorin and Terre vivante (RHS and Cornell for the UK and the US), compared with OpenFarm (CC0). They remain indicative.