When to plant · 17 cities · zones 7a–8b
When to plant onions in Virginia
Start Spanish Onion seeds indoors around Jan 17 and transplant around Mar 14 — the Virginia statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Apr 11 across 892 ZIP codes and 143 NOAA stations.
The rule: Twelve weeks indoors, the earliest sowing on the calendar, then transplant about four weeks before the last frost.
Virginia onions, by step
Statewide median last frost Apr 11, first fall frost Oct 30, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.
| Cultivar | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish OnionYellow Sweet Spanish (long-day) | Jan 17 | Mar 14 | Jul 2 | 110 from transplant |
Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station Virginia's ZIP codes resolve to.
Onions in Virginia, city by city
Spanish Onion, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.
| City | Last frost | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beachzone 8b | Mar 29 | Jan 4 | Mar 1 | Jun 19 |
| Chesapeakezone 8a | Mar 23 | Dec 29 | Feb 23 | Jun 13 |
| Richmondzone 7b | Apr 3 | Jan 9 | Mar 6 | Jun 24 |
| Norfolkzone 8b | Mar 17 | Dec 23 | Feb 17 | Jun 7 |
| Newport Newszone 8a | Apr 1 | Jan 7 | Mar 4 | Jun 22 |
| Alexandriazone 8a | Mar 24 | Dec 30 | Feb 24 | Jun 14 |
| Hamptonzone 8b | Mar 24 | Dec 30 | Feb 24 | Jun 14 |
| Suffolkzone 8a | Mar 27 | Jan 2 | Feb 27 | Jun 17 |
| Roanokezone 7b | Apr 3 | Jan 9 | Mar 6 | Jun 24 |
| Portsmouthzone 8b | Mar 23 | Dec 29 | Feb 23 | Jun 13 |
| Lynchburgzone 7b | Apr 17 | Jan 23 | Mar 20 | Jul 8 |
| Harrisonburgzone 7a | Apr 21 | Jan 27 | Mar 24 | Jul 12 |
| Leesburgzone 7b | Apr 16 | Jan 22 | Mar 19 | Jul 7 |
| Blacksburgzone 7a | Apr 24 | Jan 30 | Mar 27 | Jul 15 |
| Charlottesvillezone 7b | Apr 2 | Jan 8 | Mar 5 | Jun 23 |
| Manassaszone 7a | Apr 12 | Jan 18 | Mar 15 | Jul 3 |
| Danvillezone 7b | Apr 8 | Jan 14 | Mar 11 | Jun 29 |
What these onions become
What Virginia onions need
Yellow Sweet Spanish Onion Seed
A long-day storage onion with enough sugar to sweat down without scorching. The aromatic base under every tomato sauce on this site.
Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have
Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.
72-Cell Trays with 1020 Bottoms, 5-PackMust have
The cheap black nursery trays crack after one season and flex enough to break roots when you lift them. These do not. Over five seasons the price per use is lower than the throwaways.
T8 Full-Spectrum Grow Lights, 1 ft 4-packMust have
A south window in March delivers a fraction of the light a pepper seedling needs, and the plant tells you by stretching. Two inches of LED above the canopy for 16 hours a day fixes it permanently.
Rapitest Soil Test Kit
In-ground growers are guessing until they test. pH outside 6.0–6.8 locks nutrients out no matter how much fertiliser you add, and no amount of feeding fixes that.
Pure Organic Worm Castings, 15 lb
Not a fertiliser so much as a soil-biology inoculant with a mild nutrient charge. A cup in each planting hole is a cheap, unglamorous improvement you can measure by August.
Garden Harvest Basket with Tool Caddy
A harvest basket that doubles as a colander means the hose rinse happens in the garden, and the dirt stays outside. On a 20-pound tomato day that is a genuine time saving.
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Onions in Virginia: questions
When should I plant onions in Virginia?
Transplant around Mar 14 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Mar 2 in the warmest tenth of Virginia's ZIP codes to Mar 29 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Apr 29 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.
When do I start onions seeds indoors in Virginia?
Around Jan 17 for Spanish Onion: 12 weeks before the statewide median last frost, on soil held at 65–75 °F.
When is the last frost in Virginia?
The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Apr 11. In the warmest tenth of Virginia's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Mar 30; in the coldest tenth, on or after Apr 26.
When will Virginia onions be ready to harvest?
Spanish Onion planted on the statewide date is ready around Jul 2: 110 days from transplant.
Which onions grow in Virginia?
Spanish Onion is a long-day onion, correct above roughly 36° N. Every Virginia city listed here is north of that line.
More for Virginia
- When to plant tomatoes
- When to plant peppers
- When to plant tomatillos
- When to plant basil
- When to plant cilantro
- When to plant carrots
- When to plant mustard greens
Onions in every state → · Virginia frost dates → · How frost-date math works →