When to plant sweet corn
Sow sweet corn outdoors from the last frost to 2 weeks after and plant again for fall 12 to 14 weeks before the first fall frost.
Your dates for sweet corn
Set your ZIP code at the top of the page and we will work out when to plant sweet corn where you live, from the frost records of the nearest NOAA weather station. Your ZIP code is remembered on this device only.
Sweet Corn planting dates by zone
| Zone | Sow outdoors | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 2a | May 21 to Jun 4 | — |
| Zone 3a | May 26 to Jun 9 | — |
| Zone 3b | May 17 to 31 | — |
| Zone 4a | May 13 to 27 | — |
| Zone 4b | May 8 to 22 | — |
| Zone 5a | May 3 to 17 | — |
| Zone 5b | May 1 to 15 | — |
| Zone 6a | Apr 29 to May 13 | — |
| Zone 6b | Apr 23 to May 7 | — |
| Zone 7a | Apr 16 to 30 | — |
| Zone 7b | Apr 5 to 19 | Jul 26 to Aug 9 |
| Zone 8a | Mar 29 to Apr 12 | Aug 1 to 15 |
| Zone 8b | Mar 17 to 31 | Aug 7 to 21 |
| Zone 9a | Mar 2 to 16 | — |
| Zone 9b | Jan 31 to Feb 14 | — |
Where frost is rare
Sow in late winter to early spring so the ears mature before peak heat. Frost-free South Florida grows corn from fall through winter. Phoenix also has a second sowing window in mid to late summer.
| Zone | Planting months in Extension guides |
|---|---|
| Zone 9 | Jan-Apr (Central FL); mid Feb-early Apr, mid Jul-Aug (Phoenix low desert) |
| Zone 10 | Oct-Mar |
Based on UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (VH021) Table 1, sweet corn: North FL Mar-Apr and Aug, Central FL Jan-Apr, South FL Oct-Mar. University of Arizona AZ1005 Maricopa County calendar: seed mid-February through early April and mid-July through August. Zone mapping is an editorial approximation: zone_9 uses Central FL plus Phoenix, and zone_10 uses South FL. No source covers zone 11 or Hawaii. Warm-winter areas are matched to zones approximately, so use the months for your region.
How to grow sweet cornYour full planting calendar
Sources
- How to Grow Sweet Corn in Your Garden · Utah State University Extension
- Growing Sweet Corn in a Home Garden · University of Maryland Extension
- Growing Home Garden Sweet Corn (Circular 905) · University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
- Sweet Corn (HGIC factsheet) · Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center
- Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP103/VH021) · University of Florida IFAS Extension
- Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County (AZ1005) · University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
- GN 154: Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination (Harrington emergence table) · UC Cooperative Extension, Sacramento County (UC ANR)
- Fall Vegetable Gardening (SPES-801) · Virginia Cooperative Extension