When to plant sunflowers in Oregon and Washington

In Portland: Plant sunflowers from seed, directly in the garden, May 10 – Jun 21. In Bend: Jun 16 – Jul 28. Find your city below.

Sow them where they'll grow; they dislike transplanting. Tall varieties need a spot out of the wind.

Sunflowers planting dates by city

City	Plant in the garden
Astoria, OR	May 15 – Jun 26
Baker City, OR	Jun 1 – Jul 13
Bend and Redmond, OR	Jun 16 – Jul 28
Burns, OR	Jun 18 – Jul 30
Coos Bay and North Bend, OR	May 15 – Jun 26
Eugene, OR	May 10 – Jun 21
Gresham, OR	May 10 – Jun 21
Klamath Falls, OR	Jun 16 – Jul 28
Medford, OR	May 10 – Jun 21
Pendleton, OR	May 3 – Jun 14
Portland, OR	May 10 – Jun 21
Roseburg, OR	May 10 – Jun 21
Salem, OR	May 10 – Jun 21
The Dalles, OR	Apr 25 – Jun 6
Wilsonville and Canby, OR	May 10 – Jun 21
Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA	May 15 – Jun 26
Bellingham, WA	May 10 – Jun 21
Ellensburg, WA	May 15 – Jun 26
Everett, WA	May 10 – Jun 21
Forks, WA	May 15 – Jun 26
Moses Lake, WA	May 4 – Jun 15
Olympia, WA	May 10 – Jun 21
Omak and Okanogan, WA	May 15 – Jun 26
Seattle and Tacoma, WA	May 10 – Jun 21
Spokane, WA	May 15 – Jun 26
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA	May 4 – Jun 15
Vancouver, WA	May 10 – Jun 21
Walla Walla, WA	Apr 25 – Jun 6
Wenatchee, WA	Apr 25 – Jun 6
Yakima, WA	May 15 – Jun 26

Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
Plant seeds on your city's dates, 1 inch deep, 6 inches (small types) to 24 inches (giants) apart.
Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
Harvest: Cut flowers when the petals are just opening. For seeds, let heads dry on the plant until the back turns brown, and cover them from birds.

Birds and slugs eat seedlings. Cover the seedbed until plants are a few inches tall.