Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The earliest that you can plant corn in Richmond should be figured out by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Corn

Frost tolerance for corn:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's probably a bad idea to plant corn until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant corn in Richmond is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant corn and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your corn may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your corn indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Richmond the average date of last frost happens on January 31. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 30°F.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Richmond and it will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Richmond it frosts late in the year after January 31 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your corn if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Richmond

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	30°F
Highest Expected Low	35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 35°F.

Plants to Grow in Richmond

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Richmond.