🌽When to Plant Corn (2026)
Sow directly in warm soil. Plant in blocks for good pollination.
- Type: Warm-season
- Method: Direct sow
- Days to harvest: 80
- Spacing: 12" apart
- Sun: Full sun
- Companions: beans, squash, cucumber
Is Corn right for your USDA zone?
Corn is a warm-season crop that needs frost-free weather and warm soil to thrive. Gardeners in zones 5b through 10b have the longest corn season. In cooler zones (3a-5a), choose fast-maturing varieties (70 days or less) and start seeds indoors to extend your window. In hot zones (9a-10b), corn may struggle in peak summer — consider planting in February-March for a spring crop before the heat.
Corn needs about 80 days from sowing to harvest, so any zone with at least 94frost-free days can grow it successfully. Check your zone's specific dates in the table below.
Corn planting dates by zone (2026)
| Zone | Start Indoors | Sow / Transplant | Harvest From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | — | May 29 | Aug 17 |
| Zone 3b | — | May 29 | Aug 17 |
| Zone 4a | — | May 24 | Aug 12 |
| Zone 4b | — | May 19 | Aug 7 |
| Zone 5a | — | May 14 | Aug 2 |
| Zone 5b | — | May 9 | Jul 28 |
| Zone 6a | — | May 4 | Jul 23 |
| Zone 6b | — | Apr 29 | Jul 18 |
| Zone 7a | — | Apr 24 | Jul 13 |
| Zone 7b | — | Apr 19 | Jul 8 |
| Zone 8a | — | Apr 8 | Jun 27 |
| Zone 8b | — | Mar 29 | Jun 17 |
| Zone 9a | — | Mar 11 | May 30 |
| Zone 9b | — | Feb 24 | May 15 |
| Zone 10a | — | Feb 14 | May 5 |
| Zone 10b | — | Jan 29 | Apr 19 |