Yes — Strong Match
Egyptian walking onion (zones 3-9) covers every zone Washington contains (4a-9b), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Egyptian Walking Onion in Washington — the short answer
Egyptian Walking Onion in Washington: hardy in zones 3–9, full sun, against a state median of ~208 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 3-9
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Washington zones
- 4a-9b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 16 - Apr 15 – Oct 24 - Nov 18
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 131 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 240 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Washington spans zones 4a-9b, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score egyptian walking onion against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Washington is not one climate
A single Washington answer averages 39 counties whose growing seasons are 169 days apart — from 131 frost-free days in Whatcom County to 300 in San Juan County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what egyptian walking onion can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 39 counties runs 192–248 days, with a median of 208 days — a 169-day span end to end.
Measured across 39 Washington counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in Washington Fits Best
Even within Washington's zones 4a-9b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for egyptian walking onion (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Egyptian Walking Onion Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-9
- Frost-Free Days: 120+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 2.5 ft tall
- Picking window: ~60 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Washington Has
- USDA Zones: 4a-9b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 16 - Apr 15
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 24 - Nov 18
- Annual Rainfall: 6-90 inches
- Common Soils: Volcanic ash, Silt loam (Palouse), Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-9)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Egyptian Walking Onion in Washington
The frost window
Across Washington, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 16 and Apr 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 24 and Nov 18 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 192-day window you can count on — up to 247 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Frost hardiness
Egyptian Walking Onion takes cold down to about 23°F before a freeze kills it (FAO ECOCROP), so you can plant on the early side of Washington's window — even a few weeks before the final hard freeze. That is the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor — an established perennial comes through far colder while dormant, which is what its hardiness zone tells you.
Days to maturity vs. the window
At 240 days to maturity (Growable Ground Plant Database), the fit is tight: Washington's dependable window runs 192 days. Starting seeds indoors and transplanting at the front of the window banks the difference.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says egyptian walking onion survives winter here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Egyptian Walking Onion wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical Washington site sees ~208 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Egyptian Walking Onion needs ~1200 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~1740 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Washington's typical season clears that easily.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Egyptian Walking Onion tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-7.5) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Washington. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Washington soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Washington site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Washington soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant egyptian walking onion for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before egyptian walking onion goes in. What follows is Washington’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Washington — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Washington — 33,912 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 329 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Washington carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Washington
Severity Distribution
across Washington
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Washington, Mining runs higher than the national average — 3,881 sites across Washington. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.
Mining: Mining sites — both historic and active — can leach heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury) into soil and water for centuries after operations cease.
Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Egyptian Walking Onion in Washington
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Washington growers also need to think about:
Extreme rain divide: 90+ inches west, 6 inches east of Cascades
East side requires irrigation — no rain from June through September
Slug and root rot pressure on the wet west side
Short seasons at elevation in the Cascades and northeast corners
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Washington grower, not just egyptian walking onion — is covered on the Washington growing guide.
Timing shifts within Washington
Egyptian Walking Onion needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Whatcom County — Washington’s shortest season at 131 frost-free days — clears that by 11 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Washington. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Washington’s 39 counties the frost-free season runs from 131 days in Whatcom County to 300 days in San Juan County — a spread of 169 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Washington county sees 208 frost-free days, leaving egyptian walking onion about 88 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Egyptian Walking Onion's 120-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Egyptian Walking Onion draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, egyptian walking onion can only work that bloom inside Washington's frost window — roughly 208 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 16 - Apr 15) and closing at the first (Oct 24 - Nov 18), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Washington Cooperative Extension
For Washington-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for egyptian walking onion, the canonical source is WSU Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Egyptian Walking Onion in Washington
When can I plant Egyptian Walking Onion in Washington?
Washington's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 16 and Apr 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 24 and Nov 18 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Egyptian Walking Onion takes cold to about 23°F before a freeze kills it (FAO ECOCROP — the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor), so plant on the early side of that window — even ahead of the final hard freeze.
Can Egyptian Walking Onion mature before first frost in Washington?
It's close: Egyptian Walking Onion needs 240 days to mature (Growable Ground Plant Database) against Washington's 192-day dependable window (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Start seeds indoors and transplant once the last hard freeze has passed to bank the missing days.
What hardiness zone is Egyptian Walking Onion grown in across Washington?
Washington spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Egyptian Walking Onion carries a range of zones 3-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Washington site have?
A typical Washington site sees ~208 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Egyptian Walking Onion needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
How should I amend the soil for Egyptian Walking Onion in Washington?
Egyptian Walking Onion tolerates pH 4.5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Washington site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Egyptian Walking Onion actually grow on my specific land in Washington?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores egyptian walking onion against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Washington
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores egyptian walking onion against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Washington egyptian walking onion averages can't show:
We read public map data around Washington — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Washington egyptian walking onion average
Explore More
Growing guides for egyptian walking onion
Explore Washington county by county
Washington carries 39 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for egyptian walking onion there:
Where else egyptian walking onion grows
Egyptian Walking Onion's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Washington in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Washington
Washington has a growing page for 1,038 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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