When to plant · 4 plants

Onion family

Onions, garlic, leeks and shallots. Pick one for its dates in your town and how to grow it.

Planting order

When each one first goes in around Portland, starting indoors where that comes first. Colder towns run later.

Late winter: Leeks
Early spring: Onions
Fall: Garlic, Shallots

Planting windows at a glance

Main planting window in five reference towns. Each plant's page has every town.

Plant	Portland	Seattle and Tacoma	Bend and Redmond	Spokane	Boise and Meridian
Onions	Mar 1 – Apr 5	Mar 1 – Apr 5	Apr 28 – Jun 2	Apr 1 – May 6	Mar 20 – Apr 24
Garlic	Oct 1 – Nov 15	Oct 1 – Nov 15	Sep 20 – Oct 20	Sep 25 – Oct 31	Oct 1 – Nov 1
Leeks	Mar 15 – Apr 26	Mar 15 – Apr 26	May 12 – Jun 23	Apr 15 – May 27	Apr 1 – May 13
Shallots	Oct 1 – Nov 15	Oct 1 – Nov 15	Sep 20 – Oct 20	Sep 25 – Oct 31	Oct 1 – Nov 1

Growing onion family in the Northwest

Onions, garlic, leeks and shallots have very different calendars. Garlic and shallots are planted in fall, root over the winter and are harvested the next summer, so October is the month to remember. Onions and leeks go in during spring and need a long, steady season.

Northwest gardens are far enough north to need long-day onions, which start forming bulbs when summer days reach about 14 to 16 hours. Short-day types sold for the South make small bulbs here. Young plants (starts) usually make bigger, better-keeping onions than sets, which are easier but more likely to bolt.

All of them dislike weeds, because their thin leaves don't shade the soil, and all need well-drained ground; winter-planted garlic will rot in a waterlogged bed. Garlic is the easiest place to start: plant cloves in fall, mulch, and there's very little to do until you dig it the following July.

Common questions

When should I plant garlic in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?

In fall, from about October to mid-November on the west side and a few weeks earlier in the high desert. It grows roots before winter and is ready to dig the next summer.

What kind of onions grow best in the Northwest?

Long-day onions, which form bulbs when summer days reach 14 to 16 hours. Short-day onions sold for the South make small bulbs this far north.

Do onions and garlic keep pests away?

Their scent may confuse some insects, and deer and rodents usually leave them alone, but they won't protect other crops on their own. Grow them for the harvest.