Onions are a cold-season crop, easy to grow because of their hardiness. By midsummer, you can begin harvesting individual onions! Learn more about planting, growing, and harvesting onions for an endless supply in your garden.

Typically, onions are planted early in the spring and harvested in the summer and into fall after their tops begin to die back. In the southern U.S., some onion varieties can be planting in the fall.

Should I Grow Onions from Seed or from Sets?

We recommend using onion sets, which can be planted without worry of frost damage and have a higher success rate than planting from onion seeds or transplants. Onion sets are small onion bulbs that are sold specifically for gardening. Once planted, they develop into a full-size bulb after about 3-½ months.

Onion plants grow well in raised beds or raised rows at least 4 inches high. If you’d prefer to start your onions from seeds, check out our tips for growing onions from seed indoors.