How to Grow Dandelions

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: Not drought-sensitive; tolerates a wide range of moisture levels (RHS)

Soil pH range

6 6.4

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Sowing and germination	0	Sow seed 1/4-1/2in deep in a fine, firm seedbed; seeds freely and germinates readily (RHS; SARE). Where grown as a crop, stagger sowings 10-14 days apart at first, then every 7 days, for a continuous supply of young leaves (SARE).
Rosette establishment	3	Forms a rosette of long, toothed leaves over a deep taproot. Grows in almost any soil and either full sun or partial shade (RHS). Where grown deliberately, thin or space transplants around 5in apart in-row (SARE).
Flowering	6	Bright yellow flowers appear April to June on hollow, milky-sapped stems, followed by the familiar wind-dispersed seed heads (RHS).
Harvest	8	Leaves can be cut for salad use through the season, and harvested twice from the same plants; a period of blanching before cutting reduces bitterness (SARE). Flowers and roots are also edible.

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Soil pH	6 - 6.4
Soil texture	Chalk, clay, loam or sand -- tolerant of almost any soil type (RHS); a fine, firm seedbed with added compost when grown deliberately as a crop (SARE)
Drainage	Moist but well-drained or well-drained (RHS)
Lifecycle	Evergreen herbaceous perennial (RHS)
Edible parts	leaves, flowers, roots

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Leaves, flowers and roots are all edible and can be picked through the growing season; leaves can be harvested twice from the same plants when grown as a deliberate crop (SARE). A few weeks of blanching (excluding light with mounded soil, straw or a covering) before cutting reduces the natural bitterness of the leaves.

Dandelion Photo Gallery

A clump of flowering dandelions

Multiple dandelion plants flowering together, showing the typical dense clumping habit.

Sources

1. Plants For A Future (PFAF) - Taraxacum officinale

   PFAF entry for Taraxacum officinale. Fetched and parsed directly for the USDA hardiness rating.

2. SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education), Northeast Crop Production and Harvest Manual - Dandelion Greens

   Grown as a deliberate salad-leaf crop. Soil pH 6.0-6.4, prepared fine firm seedbed, compost per soil test, nitrogen around 120 lb/acre. Direct-seeding depth 1/4-1/2in. Transplant spacing 5in in-row across 3 rows. Succession planting: 10-14 days between the first and second sowings, then 7-day intervals for continuous harvest. Can be harvested twice from the same plants. No specific disease or pest problems documented; the main protection concern noted is deer browsing, managed with fencing.

These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (Plants For A Future (PFAF), Royal Horticultural Society, SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education), Northeast Crop Production and Harvest Manual) is in the references of our UK guide to dandelions; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.