PlantZoneFinder

When to plant sweet corn

Tender · warm-season grain

Sweet corn is a tender, warm-season grain that matures in about 60–90 days from sowing. Sow directly in the garden direct-sow about 0–2 weeks after the last frost. Because the right calendar date depends on your local frost dates, pick your ZIP or city on the home planner to see exact sweet corn planting windows for your location; the per-location pages list them city by city. Windows are extension-guide planning ranges, not guarantees.

Sweet corn at a glance

Planning parameters — typical ranges from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Category warm-season grain
Frost tolerance Tender
Start indoors Not usually — direct-sow
Plant out Direct-sow 0–2 wk after last frost
Days to maturity 60–90 days (from sow)
Min. soil temp 60°F
Second (fall) crop Not typically

Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.

Sweet corn planting windows by city

The exact dates depend on each location's average frost calendar. Here is sweet corn across 40 locations spanning the climate range — open one for its full printable calendar, or find your own dates with the ZIP planner.

Computed by counting from each location's NOAA 1991–2020 average frost dates.
Location Zone Start indoors Plant out First harvest
Adak, AK 8b — May 31 – Jun 14 Jul 30 – Aug 29
Fort Payne, AL 7b — Mar 29 – Apr 12 May 28 – Jun 27
Saratoga, AR 8b — Mar 26 – Apr 9 May 25 – Jun 24
Top-of-the-World, AZ 8a — Feb 24 – Mar 10 Apr 25 – May 25
Half Moon Bay, CA 10a — Feb 6 – Feb 20 Apr 7 – May 7
Rohnert Park, CA 9a — Feb 28 – Mar 14 Apr 29 – May 29
Ellicott, CO 6a — May 6 – May 20 Jul 5 – Aug 4
Millsboro, DE 7b — Apr 4 – Apr 18 Jun 3 – Jul 3
Yankeetown, FL 9b — Feb 28 – Mar 14 Apr 29 – May 29
Volcano, HI 11a — year-round —
Boise, ID 7a — Apr 24 – May 8 Jun 23 – Jul 23
Effingham, IL 6b — Apr 13 – Apr 27 Jun 12 – Jul 12
Indianapolis, IN 6a — Apr 21 – May 5 Jun 20 – Jul 20
Minneapolis, KS 6b — Apr 20 – May 4 Jun 19 – Jul 19
Bayou Blue, LA 9b — Feb 5 – Feb 19 Apr 6 – May 6
Glen Burnie, MD 8a — Apr 10 – Apr 24 Jun 9 – Jul 9
Elk Rapids, MI 6a — Apr 30 – May 14 Jun 29 – Jul 29
Dawson, MN 4b — May 3 – May 17 Jul 2 – Aug 1
Cayuga, OK 7a — Apr 15 – Apr 29 Jun 14 – Jul 14
Cleveland, MS 8b — Mar 14 – Mar 28 May 13 – Jun 12
Island Park, ID 4a — Jun 15 – Jun 29 Aug 14 – Sep 13
Hickory, NC 8a — Mar 31 – Apr 14 May 30 – Jun 29
Litchville, ND 4a — May 10 – May 24 Jul 9 – Aug 8
Plainview, NE 5b — Apr 30 – May 14 Jun 29 – Jul 29
Capulin, NM 5b — May 17 – May 31 Jul 16 – Aug 15
Gabbs, NV 6b — May 1 – May 15 Jun 30 – Jul 30
Madrid, NY 4b — Apr 29 – May 13 Jun 28 – Jul 28
London, OH 6a — Apr 24 – May 8 Jun 23 – Jul 23
Perkins, OK 7b — Apr 3 – Apr 17 Jun 2 – Jul 2
Shedd, OR 8b — Mar 14 – Mar 28 May 13 – Jun 12
Seltzer, PA 6a — Apr 16 – Apr 30 Jun 15 – Jul 15
Custer, SD 5a — May 23 – Jun 6 Jul 22 – Aug 21
Lynchburg, TN 7b — Apr 7 – Apr 21 Jun 6 – Jul 6
Early, TX 8a — Mar 22 – Apr 5 May 21 – Jun 20
Ozona, TX 8a — Mar 27 – Apr 10 May 26 – Jun 25
Fillmore, UT 6a — May 4 – May 18 Jul 3 – Aug 2
Hillsville, VA 7a — Apr 25 – May 9 Jun 24 – Jul 24
Green Bluff, WA 6b — May 22 – Jun 5 Jul 21 – Aug 20
Gordon, WI 4a — May 22 – Jun 5 Jul 21 – Aug 20
Elk Garden, WV 6b — Apr 30 – May 14 Jun 29 – Jul 29

How to time sweet corn

Sweet corn is a tender warm-season grain. Tender crops are damaged by any frost, so plant them out only after the danger of frost has passed. Direct-sow 0–2 wk after last frost, once the soil is at least about 60°F. It matures in roughly 60–90 days from sowing.

Find your own dates on the home planner, browse all crops, or read the methodology for the offsets and citations behind these windows.

Frequently asked questions

Is sweet corn frost-tolerant?
Sweet corn is a tender crop. Tender crops are damaged by any frost, so plant them out only after the danger of frost has passed.
How long does sweet corn take to grow?
About 60–90 days from sowing to first harvest, depending on variety and weather. Days-to-maturity ranges are typical values from U.S. Cooperative Extension planting guides.
Can I direct-sow sweet corn?
Yes — sweet corn is usually direct-sown rather than started indoors. Sow direct-sow about 0–2 weeks after the last frost, once the soil is at least about 60°F.