When to plant sweet corn in zone 6b
In zone 6b, where the last spring frost typically comes around April 23, sow outdoors April 23 to May 7.
The zone 6b schedule for sweet corn
- Sow outdoors
- April 23 to May 7
- Safest planting date (10% frost risk)
- May 9
- First harvest, roughly
- June 22 to August 15
From the median frost dates of the NOAA stations assigned to the 4,514 ZIP codes in zone 6b, and the timing recommended by Cooperative Extension guides for sweet corn.
Frost risk in zone 6b
Zones are based on winter cold, not on frost dates, so the last spring frost varies a lot within a zone. Across zone 6b, the typical last frost ranges from about April 10 in the earliest tenth of ZIP codes to May 6 in the latest tenth, and the first fall frost from October 9 to October 29. For a typical place in the zone:
- April 8Risky: a later frost happens in 9 years out of 10
- April 23Typical: frost after this date in half of years
- May 9Safe: a later frost only 1 year in 10
Sweet Corn are killed by frost, so if you want to be safe, plant out after the safe date rather than the typical one, or be ready to cover plants on a cold night.
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 in zone 6b cities
| City | Typical last frost | Plant | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH | Apr 18 | Apr 18 to May 2 | — |
| Boston, MA | Apr 4 | Apr 19 to May 3 | Aug 3 to 17 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 21 | Apr 21 to May 5 | — |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 4 | Apr 4 to 18 | Jul 27 to Aug 10 |
| Cleveland, OH | Apr 8 | Apr 18 to May 2 | Aug 6 to 20 |
| Cincinnati, OH | Apr 16 | Apr 16 to 30 | — |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Apr 24 | Apr 24 to May 8 | — |
| Buffalo, NY | Apr 24 | Apr 26 to May 10 | — |
| Toledo, OH | Apr 20 | Apr 20 to May 4 | — |
| Boise City, ID | Apr 24 | Apr 24 to May 8 | — |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 26 | Apr 26 to May 10 | — |
| Rochester, NY | Apr 24 | Apr 24 to May 8 | — |
How to grow sweet cornAll zonesSweet Corn in zone 6aSweet Corn in zone 7aAbout zone 6b
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