State × crop calendar
Sweet Corn planting in Massachusetts.
- Primary crop
- Zone 6a
- 165-day season
- Last frost May 1
- Vegetable
- Frost Sensitive
Sweet Corn planting in Massachusetts is shaped by the state's 6a dominant hardiness zone, last frost date around May 1, and a 165-day growing season. Sweet Corn is widely grown in Massachusetts — commercially significant or common in home gardens and food plots.
Planting dates on this page are climatological estimates from USDA frost-date norms and zone-typical planting offsets. Verify against UMass Extension for variety- and county-specific guidance.
Planting calendar — 2026
Frost-anchored windows.
Sweet Corn · Massachusetts · planting calendar
Planting windows shift earlier in southern parts of the state and later in northern parts. Use last frost date in your specific county as the reference.
Planting windows
Earliest → ideal → latest.
Spring planting
Sweet CornEarliest
April 24
Ideal start
May 1
Ideal end
June 5
Latest
June 26
Soil-temp trigger
Wait for 55°F at 2-inch depth. Succession plant every 10-14 days for extended harvest.Harvest window
Typical start
July 5
Typical end
August 9
Harvest timing varies with planting date and seasonal weather — these dates are typical for the ideal planting window.
Growing notes
Sweet Corn grows well in Massachusetts's typical climate. Massachusetts's 165-day growing season and 6a hardiness zone support reliable production with appropriate variety selection.
Sweet Corn is widely grown in Massachusetts — commercially significant or common in home gardens and food plots.
Agronomy reference
Sweet Corn fundamentals.
Soil-temp minimum
55°F
Soil-temp optimum
60–85°F
Days to maturity
65–100
Water (in/wk)
1–1.5"
Soil pH
6–6.8
Nitrogen demand
high
Growing-degree-day requirement: 1400 GDD (base 50°F) from planting to maturity.
Succession planting every 2-3 weeks extends harvest. Genotype matters: SU (standard), SE (sugar enhanced), and SH2 (supersweet) varieties have different planting requirements.
Common pests to watch
- Corn earworm
- European corn borer
- Raccoons
Pest pressure varies by region and year. Confirm current outbreaks with UMass Extension.
Common diseases
- Stewart's wilt
- Common rust
- Smut
Resistance varieties shift each year. Check the current variety trial report for your state.
Variety selection
Sweet Corn varieties for Massachusetts live with your extension.
Variety selection
Variety performance is micro-regional and changes with each year's trial cycle. We don't republish variety lists — instead, we point directly at the source.
UMass Extension →Search the extension site for “sweet corn variety trial” or “recommended sweet corn varieties” to find the current report.
Yield varies significantly by variety, soil, fertility, and management. Consult your state extension service for variety performance trials in your region.
Sweet Corn timing. Live alerts.
Bield Farm ties weather and soil-temperature stations in your county to crop planting thresholds — get notified the day soil temp clears your target window.
Start free trial →