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California planting dates
When to Plant Sweet Corn in California
For sweet corn in California, spring planting starts between Aug 1 (Butte County) and May 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.
Photo: Tall corn plants with golden tassels against a summer sky in a field. inkknife_2000, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Planting dates for sweet corn in your county
Each county uses the dates for its region: North and North Coast, South Coast, Interior Valleys or Desert Valleys.
Published dates for sweet corn in California
| Type | Season | Region | Published dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn, sweet | spring | Interior Valleys | March-July | California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2) |
| Corn, sweet | spring | North & North Coast | May-July | California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2) |
| Corn, sweet | spring | South Coast | March-July | California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2) |
| Corn, sweet | winter | Desert Valleys | Feb-March | California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2) |
| Corn, sweet | summer | Interior Valleys | Aug | California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2) |
Planting dates for sweet corn by California county
| County | Spring | Summer and fall |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Alpine | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Amador | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Butte | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Calaveras | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Colusa | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Contra Costa | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Del Norte | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| El Dorado | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Fresno | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Glenn | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Humboldt | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Imperial | Feb 1 to Mar 31 | n/a |
| Inyo | Feb 1 to Mar 31 | n/a |
| Kern | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Kings | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Lake | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Lassen | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Los Angeles | Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Madera | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Marin | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Mariposa | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Mendocino | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Merced | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Modoc | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Mono | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Monterey | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Napa | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Nevada | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Orange | Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Placer | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Plumas | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Riverside | Feb 1 to Mar 31 | n/a |
| Sacramento | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| San Benito | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| San Bernardino | Feb 1 to Mar 31 | n/a |
| San Diego | Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| San Francisco | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| San Joaquin | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| San Luis Obispo | Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| San Mateo | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Santa Barbara | Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Santa Clara | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Santa Cruz | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Shasta | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Sierra | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Siskiyou | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Solano | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Sonoma | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Stanislaus | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Sutter | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Tehama | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Trinity | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Tulare | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Tuolumne | May 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Ventura | Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Yolo | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
| Yuba | Aug 1 to Aug 31; Mar 1 to Jul 31 | n/a |
More California planting dates
Planting sweet corn in California: questions
When do you plant sweet corn in California?
For sweet corn in California, spring planting starts between Aug 1 (Butte County) and May 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.
Can I plant sweet corn in the fall in California?
The UC Master Gardener Program calendar used here lists no fall window for sweet corn.
How close to frost can I plant sweet corn?
Use your county’s 10% last frost date on the California frost dates page for a safe margin.
Where do these dates for sweet corn come from?
California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2 Time of planting (UC Master Gardener Program statewide page; table 'Recommended planting dates', source: California Master Gardener Handbook, Table 13.2).
How are the county dates set?
The UC table gives separate dates for the coast, the interior valleys and the desert valleys; each county uses its region.
Photos: Tall corn plants with golden tassels against a summer sky in a field: inkknife_2000, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Rows of sweet corn in a field: Wee Hong, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Field of sweet corn in summer: Marathon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Green Emigrant Meadow below Brown Bear Pass in the Sierra Nevada: Dcrjsr, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Green subalpine meadow and granite dome at Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park: James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Tomato plant with fruit in a garden: MavisLee, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Pepper plant in a kitchen garden loaded with green, yellow and red peppers: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Potato plant growing in a garden bed: Kolforn (Kolforn), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Clusters of long green bean pods hanging from a climbing bean vine: Nirajan_pant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Cucumber plants growing in a greenhouse bed: HARTLEPOOLMARINA2014, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Zucchini plant with a yellow flower: net_efekt from Oxford, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Young lettuce plant in garden soil: GT1976, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Long rows of green onion plants growing in sandy farm soil: ליזי שאנן, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.