When to Plant Sweet Corn in North Carolina

For sweet corn in North Carolina, spring planting starts between Mar 15 (Alamance County) and Apr 15 (Alleghany County), according to N.C. Cooperative Extension.

Photo: Tall corn plants with golden tassels against a summer sky in a field. inkknife_2000, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Planting dates for sweet corn in your county

County

Each county uses its region's calendar: Western, Central or Eastern.

Wooded cove on Lake Tillery at Morrow Mountain in the Uwharrie Mountains, Stanly County

Valley view framed by spruce below Newfound Gap, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Published dates for sweet corn in North Carolina

Type	Season	Region	Published dates	Source
Corn, sweet	spring	Central North Carolina	'S' marked in half-month columns Mar 15 through May 15 (cells: S \| S \| S \| S \| S)	AG-756-01, p. 4, Table 1
Corn, sweet	spring	Eastern North Carolina	'S' marked in half-month columns Mar 15 through May 15 (cells: S \| S \| S \| S \| S)	AG-756-02, p. 4, Table 1
Corn, sweet	spring	Western North Carolina	'S' marked in half-month columns Apr 15 through Jun 15 (cells: S \| S \| S \| S \| S)	AG-756-03, p. 4, Table 1

Planting dates for sweet corn by North Carolina county

County	Spring	Summer and fall
Alamance	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Alexander	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Alleghany	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Anson	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Ashe	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Avery	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Beaufort	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Bertie	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Bladen	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Brunswick	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Buncombe	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Burke	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Cabarrus	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Caldwell	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Camden	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Carteret	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Caswell	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Catawba	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Chatham	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Cherokee	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Chowan	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Clay	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Cleveland	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Columbus	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Craven	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Cumberland	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Currituck	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Dare	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Davidson	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Davie	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Duplin	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Durham	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Edgecombe	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Forsyth	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Franklin	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Gaston	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Gates	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Graham	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Granville	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Greene	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Guilford	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Halifax	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Harnett	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Haywood	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Henderson	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Hertford	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Hoke	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Hyde	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Iredell	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Jackson	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Johnston	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Jones	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Lee	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Lenoir	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Lincoln	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Macon	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Madison	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Martin	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
McDowell	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Mecklenburg	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Mitchell	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Montgomery	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Moore	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Nash	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
New Hanover	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Northampton	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Onslow	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Orange	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Pamlico	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Pasquotank	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Pender	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Perquimans	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Person	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Pitt	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Polk	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Randolph	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Richmond	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Robeson	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Rockingham	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Rowan	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Rutherford	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Sampson	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Scotland	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Stanly	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Stokes	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Surry	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Swain	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Transylvania	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Tyrrell	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Union	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Vance	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Wake	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Warren	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Washington	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Watauga	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Wayne	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Wilkes	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a
Wilson	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Yadkin	Mar 15 to May 31	n/a
Yancey	Apr 15 to Jun 30	n/a

More North Carolina planting dates

Tomatoes
Peppers
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans
Lima Beans
Peas
Southern Peas
Cucumbers
Squash
Winter Squash
Pumpkins
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Okra
Eggplant
Lettuce
Spinach
Kale
Collard Greens
Mustard Greens
Turnips
Swiss Chard
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Kohlrabi
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Asparagus
Rutabagas
Basil
Parsley

More planting dates for North Carolina

Planting dates for each crop in North Carolina, from the N.C. Cooperative Extension calendar.

Tomatoes

Peppers

Potatoes

Green Beans

Cucumbers

Squash

Lettuce

Onions

Planting sweet corn in North Carolina: questions

When do you plant sweet corn in North Carolina?

For sweet corn in North Carolina, spring planting starts between Mar 15 (Alamance County) and Apr 15 (Alleghany County), according to N.C. Cooperative Extension.

Can I plant sweet corn in the fall in North Carolina?

The N.C. Cooperative Extension 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 North Carolina frost dates page for a safe margin.

Where do these dates for sweet corn come from?

AG-756-01 Central North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs; AG-756-02 Eastern North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs; AG-756-03 Western North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs.

How are the county dates set?

Counties are matched to the Western, Central or Eastern calendar.

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; Wooded cove on Lake Tillery at Morrow Mountain in the Uwharrie Mountains, Stanly County: Gerry Dincher, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr; Valley view framed by spruce below Newfound Gap, Great Smoky Mountains National Park: wildrosetn39, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr; 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 vines climbing a wooden trellis in a kitchen garden: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Zucchini fruit on the plant: Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Leaf lettuce growing in a garden: 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.