Growing sunflowers in zone 6
Sunflowers direct-sow easily and dislike transplanting. Sow every 2–3 weeks for continuous blooms, and site tall varieties on the north side of the garden so they don’t shade everything else.
Zone 6 covers mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley, Kansas, inland Pacific Northwest — nearly 200 frost-free days — almost everything grows, and fall gardens are easy. Zone dates are medians: frost timing varies within a zone with elevation and terrain, so treat these windows as a solid default and refine them with your own city’s dates below.
Make it local
These windows use zone 6's typical frost dates (last frost ~Apr 10, first frost ~Oct 22). For windows computed from your frost dates, run the ZIP code frost lookup and open the planting calendar — it remembers your city. The seed starting scheduler turns the whole seed rack into one printable, date-sorted list.
Frequently asked questions
When do I plant sunflowers in zone 6?
Direct sow Apr 17 – Apr 24, counted from zone 6's typical last frost around Apr 10. It has no frost tolerance — a late frost after planting means covering it or replanting.
Can I direct sow sunflowers in zone 6?
Yes — direct sow Apr 17 – Apr 24. This crop prefers direct sowing; its roots dislike transplanting.