When to sow Sweetcorn in the UK
Across the UK the first sowing of sweetcorn falls 11 weeks apart — early April in the mildest areas, mid June in the coldest. That gap is why a single national sowing date is wrong for almost everybody.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Timings below are adjusted from the midlands and lowland wales baseline using Met Office average last and first frost dates for each area.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early March to early April | mid April to early May | mid April to early May | mid July to late August |
| South Coast and Channel | mid March to mid April | mid April to mid May | late April to mid May | mid July to late August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early March to early April | mid April to early May | mid April to early May | mid July to late August |
| South East and Home Counties | late March to late April | early May to late May | early May to late May | early August to mid September |
| East Anglia | early April to early May | early May to early June | mid May to early June | early August to mid September |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | mid April to early May | mid May to mid June | late May to mid June | mid August to late September |
| Wales and West Coast | late March to late April | early May to late May | early May to late May | early August to mid September |
| Northern England | mid April to mid May | late May to mid June | late May to mid June | late August to early October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late April to late May | late May to late June | early June to late June | late August to early October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | mid May to mid June | mid June to mid July | late June to mid July | mid September to late October |
| Northern Ireland | early April to early May | early May to early June | mid May to early June | early August to mid September |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late February to late March | early April to early May | mid April to early May | early July to mid August |
Growing notes
Plant out only in late May or early June, once all risk of frost has passed and plants are 8-15cm tall. Sweetcorn is wind-pollinated, so plant in a block rather than a single row, and keep supersweet varieties away from standard ones to avoid starchy, poorly flavoured kernels.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 40 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 40 cm
- Plants per m²
- 6
- Days to maturity
- 100 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.4 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- Frost tender
- Yes — do not plant out until after the last frost
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 40 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 40 cm
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- birds
- mice
- slugs
- poor pollination from row planting
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
- ornamental maize
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for sweetcorn.