Sweet Corn is an annual grown for its fruit, ready to harvest about 80 days after planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 2 through 11 and stands up to deer. As a grass, give it a fresh bed each year — away from where its relatives just grew — so the soil-borne pests and diseases of the family never get a foothold.
Sweet Corn — the short answer
Sweet Corn: grown in zones 2–11, full sun, pH 4.5–8.5, about 80 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 2–11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 4.5–8.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 80 days
- Cornell; ISU-GDD
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Which pests actually threaten sweet corn where you grow?
Japanese beetle is only documented in part of the country, so the answer depends on where you plant. Enter your location and we'll tell you which one reaches your land — and the move that beats it.
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What Sweet Corn is
Sweet Corn grows as an annual and reaches around eight feet at maturity. It blooms yellow in early summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Sweet Corn
Sweet Corn grows in USDA zones 2 through 11 and is ready to harvest about 80 days after planting. Sweet Corn does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 8.5. It needs around 2,000 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 65 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
2-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 8.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
Data pending
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
50°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
80 days
Sweet corn; succession every 14d for steady harvest.
Cornell; ISU-GDD
GDD Required
2000+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
8 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
65+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant sweet corn in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Sweet Corn prefers pH 4.5 to 8.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at maturity
Sweet Corn is ready about 80 days after planting (Cornell; ISU-GDD). Pick when the fruit is full-colored and parts easily from the stem.
Where Sweet Corn thrives
On hardiness alone, sweet corn grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 2 through 11) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 2–11 spans average winter lows from -50°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 48 outright and splits 3 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 2–11·Where Sweet Corn growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
Where Sweet Corn stands, state by state
Sweet Corn is rated for zones 2–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at -50 to -40°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 48 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 3 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 2–11
48 states
3 of 48 shown
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Sweet Corn
Growing guides for sweet corn
In rotation planning, sweet corn counts as a Grass — beds recover best when grass crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in vegetable
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — sweet corn isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Sweet Corn isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data — pair it with high-value bloomers nearby to feed bees.
Before you harvest sweet corn, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant sweet corn for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Sweet Corn's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Sweet Corn will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether sweet corn actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Sweet Corn
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Sweet Corn in my zone?
Sweet Corn grows in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Sweet Corn take to grow?
Sweet Corn is ready to harvest about 80 days after planting (Cornell; ISU-GDD). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Sweet Corn?
Most growers plant sweet corn after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 65-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Sweet Corn need?
Sweet Corn needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Sweet Corn need?
Sweet Corn prefers soil pH 4.5 to 8.5 (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Sweet Corn attract pollinators?
Sweet Corn isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data. Pairing it with high-value bloomers nearby keeps bees and butterflies fed.
Is Sweet Corn safe for pets?
Sweet Corn is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)