When to plant sweet corn in zone 7a
In zone 7a, where the last spring frost typically comes around April 16, sow outdoors April 16 to 30.
The zone 7a schedule for sweet corn
- Sow outdoors
- April 16 to 30
- Safest planting date (10% frost risk)
- May 3
- First harvest, roughly
- June 15 to August 8
From the median frost dates of the NOAA stations assigned to the 3,981 ZIP codes in zone 7a, and the timing recommended by Cooperative Extension guides for sweet corn.
Frost risk in zone 7a
Zones are based on winter cold, not on frost dates, so the last spring frost varies a lot within a zone. Across zone 7a, the typical last frost ranges from about April 5 in the earliest tenth of ZIP codes to April 29 in the latest tenth, and the first fall frost from October 15 to November 2. For a typical place in the zone:
- April 1Risky: a later frost happens in 9 years out of 10
- April 16Typical: frost after this date in half of years
- May 3Safe: 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 7a cities
| City | Typical last frost | Plant | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | Mar 31 | Mar 31 to Apr 14 | Aug 1 to 15 |
| Wichita, KS | Apr 11 | Apr 11 to 25 | — |
| Lexington-Fayette urban county, KY | Apr 13 | Apr 13 to 27 | — |
| St. Louis, MO | Apr 8 | Apr 8 to 22 | — |
| Amarillo, TX | Apr 13 | Apr 13 to 27 | — |
| Providence, RI | Apr 11 | Apr 18 to May 2 | — |
| Paterson, NJ | Apr 3 | Apr 8 to 22 | Jul 29 to Aug 12 |
| Bridgeport, CT | Apr 5 | Apr 16 to 30 | Jul 31 to Aug 14 |
| Meridian, ID | Apr 24 | Apr 24 to May 8 | — |
| Stamford, CT | Apr 12 | Apr 17 to May 1 | — |
| New Haven, CT | Apr 5 | Apr 16 to 30 | Jul 31 to Aug 14 |
| Allentown, PA | Apr 20 | Apr 20 to May 4 | — |
How to grow sweet cornAll zonesSweet Corn in zone 6bSweet Corn in zone 7bAbout zone 7a
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