When to Plant Onions in Ohio

For onions in Ohio, spring planting starts between Mar 1 (Lawrence County) and Mar 15 (Allen County), according to Ohio State University Extension.

Photo: Long rows of green onion plants growing in sandy farm soil. ליזי שאנן, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

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Onions planting window by county

County

The zone of each county sets how early its spring dates are.

White barn and silo on a farm near Orrville, Wayne County

Flat green farmland under summer clouds, Madison County

Grassed drainage ditch winding between flat farm fields, Crawford County

Published dates for onions in Ohio

Type	Season	Region	Published dates	Source
Onion (sets)	spring	Ohio (dates based on Zone 6a)	March: 'After March 15' Onion (sets); April: Onion (sets); May: Onion (sets); June: 'Before June 10' Onion (sets)	Ohio Gardening Calendar, p. 1, monthly 'Garden Planting' panels

Planting dates for onions by Ohio county

County	Spring	Summer and fall
Adams	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Allen	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Ashland	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Ashtabula	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Athens	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Auglaize	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Belmont	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Brown	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Butler	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Carroll	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Champaign	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Clark	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Clermont	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Clinton	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Columbiana	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Coshocton	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Crawford	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Cuyahoga	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Darke	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Defiance	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Delaware	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Erie	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Fairfield	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Fayette	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Franklin	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Fulton	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Gallia	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Geauga	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Greene	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Guernsey	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Hamilton	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Hancock	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Hardin	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Harrison	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Henry	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Highland	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Hocking	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Holmes	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Huron	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Jackson	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Jefferson	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Knox	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Lake	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Lawrence	Mar 1 to May 27	n/a
Licking	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Logan	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Lorain	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Lucas	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Madison	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Mahoning	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Marion	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Medina	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Meigs	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Mercer	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Miami	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Monroe	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Montgomery	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Morgan	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Morrow	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Muskingum	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Noble	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Ottawa	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Paulding	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Perry	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Pickaway	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Pike	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Portage	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Preble	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Putnam	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Richland	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Ross	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Sandusky	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Scioto	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Seneca	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Shelby	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Stark	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Summit	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Trumbull	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Tuscarawas	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Union	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Van Wert	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Vinton	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Warren	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Washington	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Wayne	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Williams	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a
Wood	Mar 8 to Jun 3	n/a
Wyandot	Mar 15 to Jun 10	n/a

Ohio planting dates for other crops

Tomatoes
Peppers
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Corn
Green Beans
Lima Beans
Peas
Southern Peas
Cucumbers
Squash
Winter Squash
Pumpkins
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Okra
Eggplant
Lettuce
Spinach
Collard Greens
Mustard Greens
Turnips
Swiss Chard
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Garlic
Leeks
Asparagus
Rutabagas

More planting dates for Ohio

Planting dates for each crop in Ohio, from the Ohio State University Extension calendar.

Tomatoes

Peppers

Potatoes

Sweet Corn

Green Beans

Cucumbers

Squash

Lettuce

Planting onions in Ohio: questions

When do you plant onions in Ohio?

For onions in Ohio, spring planting starts between Mar 1 (Lawrence County) and Mar 15 (Allen County), according to Ohio State University Extension.

Can I plant onions in the fall in Ohio?

The Ohio State University Extension calendar used here lists no fall window for onions.

How do frost dates affect planting onions?

Yes. The Ohio frost dates page gives the 10% and 50% dates for every county.

Where do these dates for onions come from?

Ohio Gardening Calendar.

Do these dates change by county?

Zone 6a dates are the base; warmer zones plant earlier in spring.

Rolling pasture, pond and fall woods from Clover Ridge Road, Belmont County

Photos: Long rows of green onion plants growing in sandy farm soil: ליזי שאנן, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons; Rolling pasture, pond and fall woods from Clover Ridge Road, Belmont County: Nyttend, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Barn and silo under a dramatic cloudy sky, Wayne County: Tom Bower, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr; White barn and silo on a farm near Orrville, Wayne County: Tom Bower, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr; Flat green farmland under summer clouds, Madison County: Roland Tanglao, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr; Grassed drainage ditch winding between flat farm fields, Crawford County: Self-forming Streams, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr; Pile of ripe tomatoes: Jubair Bin Iqbal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Pepper plant in a kitchen garden loaded with green, yellow and red peppers: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Long neat rows of green potato plants stretching across a farm field: Malcolm Neal, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Tall corn plants with golden tassels against a summer sky in a field: inkknife_2000, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Clusters of long green bean pods hanging from a climbing bean vine: Nirajan_pant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Cucumber vines climbing a wooden trellis in a kitchen garden: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Harvested zucchini and summer squash: nociveglia from Appennino Emiliano, Italy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Young lettuce plant in garden soil: GT1976, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.