Orto

Roots, bulbs and tubers: when to plant them

Updated 4 November 2026 · By the Orto editorial team

Carrots, radishes, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, garlic, shallots, leeks and fennel go in at different months, often direct-sown or as sets and tubers. Each sheet gives the timing by region.

Roots, bulbs and tubers go in at different months, and almost always without moving the root: carrots, radishes, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, garlic, shallots, leeks and fennel. Carrots are sown where they will grow. The tuber and the bulb go in already formed.

Carrots have their main season from April to early July, and a mid-February start only under cover. In Sicily the cycle is autumn-winter-spring. Salad radishes are repeated in spring and late summer; winter ones go in July or August. Potatoes are planted in spring with certified seed tubers: in Valle d'Aosta by 20 April in the valley floor, in Umbria from 1 March to 30 June. In Sicily the early crop starts in October-November. Garlic is planted from mid-autumn to early winter, because it wants one or two months between 0 and 10 °C to split the bulb. Onions go in during autumn, if the soil drains, or in spring: cold at the start of the cycle makes them bolt. Florence fennel is sown outdoors in June or July, because early sowings bolt.

Sodden soil rots bulbs and seed. The month for your region is on the sheet, before you open the packet.

Row of young carrot seedlings with feathery leaves emerging from the soilWhen to plant carrots?Freshly pulled red radishes with leaves on garden soilWhen to plant radishes?Sprouted seed potatoes laid in a garden trench before coveringWhen to plant potatoes?Tall Jerusalem artichoke plants with small yellow sunflower-like flowersWhen to plant Jerusalem artichokes?Rows of young onion plants with green tubular leaves in a gardenWhen to plant onions?Young garlic shoots emerging in neat rows in an autumn garden bedWhen to plant garlic?Shallot plants with thin leaves and clusters of copper bulbsWhen to plant shallots?Neat rows of leeks with white shanks and flat leavesWhen to plant leeks?Row of Florence fennel with white bulbs and feathery frondsWhen to plant fennel?

Frequently asked questions

Why are carrots not transplanted?

Because the root forks if you move it. Sow where it will grow, from April to early July in the main season, and in mid-February only under cover.

Are potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes planted the same way?

No. Potatoes want certified, chitted seed tubers, in spring. Jerusalem artichoke, for the RHS, is planted from February to May, 10-15 cm deep, and lifted from November to February.

When does garlic go in, and when do onions?

Garlic usually from mid-autumn to early winter, with one or two months between 0 and 10 °C so the bulb splits. Onions in autumn, if the soil drains, or in spring. Cold at the start of the onion's cycle makes it bolt.

Is fennel sown in spring like carrots?

Outdoors the sheet puts it in June or July, because early sowings bolt. In Campania the written transplants are September and October; in Sicily April-May or September-November, with the soil above 10-12 °C.

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See also: Planting calendar · Guides