When to Plant Sweet Corn in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide

Sow September to January. Right now in September you can sow.

Also called corn, maize.

Published · Last reviewed · By Garden Buddy
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.

This Sweet Corn guide is written for the Cool Temperate zone, which takes in Melbourne, Hobart and Geelong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.

Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Canberra Alice Springs Perth

Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.

Sweet Corn

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Sweet corn is a warm-season grass requiring block planting for wind pollination. Freshly picked corn is dramatically sweeter than shop-bought because sugars convert to starch within hours of picking. Requires significant space (minimum 4x4 block) and cannot be grown as single plants or rows.

Planting Calendar for Cool Temperate

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
T - - - - - - - S/D S/T/D S/T/D S/T

S = Seed Tray   T = Transplant   D = Direct Sow

Want a nudge when it is Sweet Corn sowing time in Melbourne?

One email a week with what is worth planting in the Cool Temperate zone right now, Sweet Corn included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.

Current Growing Conditions

Soil temperature: 13.1°C (optimal range: 16–35°C) ✗ Outside optimal range

Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Melbourne), not a live sensor.

How to Grow Sweet Corn in Cool Temperate Australia

When to Plant

November to December.

Soil
Deep, fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost and aged manure. Heavy feeder.
pH Range
5.8-7.0
Sunlight
Full sun (minimum 8 hours). No shade tolerance.
Spacing
30cm apart, 60cm between rows
Watering
Deep water 2-3 times weekly. CRITICAL: increase at tasselling/silk stage. Water stress causes bare cob patches.

Companion plants: Beans (Three Sisters), Pumpkin/Squash, Cucumber

Avoid planting near: Tomato (shared corn earworm)

Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Sweet Corn

Recommended Varieties

  • Golden Bantam (70 days)
  • Early Chief
  • Early Gem

Key Challenges

  • Short season
  • Cool nights

Pro Tips

  • Early varieties (70-80 day)
  • Start indoors October
  • Black plastic mulch

Harvesting Sweet Corn

When ready: Silks brown/dry. Cob full and firm through husk. Kernel exudes milky juice when pierced with thumbnail (milk stage).

How to harvest: Grasp cob, snap downward while twisting. Eat immediately. Sugar converts to starch within hours.

Worth growing?

A 2.4 m × 1.2 m bed fits 12 plants, about $32 worth at today’s Aldi, IGA and Woolworths prices, checked today.

That is roughly 3 kg at $10.59 a kilo.

Draw your sweet corn bed → No account needed.

Common Sweet Corn Pests in Cool Temperate Zones

Corn Earworm and Fungal Infections, risk: LOW (score: 33/100)

Organic prevention: Remove old plants. Crop rotation.

View all pest alerts →

Where to next

What sweet corn costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.

Also worth sowing in the cool temperate zone this September: Ginger, Chilli Peppers, Snow Peas and Asparagus.

The pest most likely to find your sweet corn: Birds (Bowerbirds, Cockatoos, Pigeons).

Supermarket Price

Current average retail: $10.59/kg (12-month range: $6.98–$15.71)

Grow your own and save on grocery bills.

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Common Questions About Sweet Corn

When do you plant sweet corn in Australia?

It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:

Does sweet corn grow all year round in Melbourne?

No. In the Cool Temperate zone the planting months are Jan, Sep to Dec. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.

What else is sweet corn called?

Sweet corn is the usual Australian name. Overseas seed packets and recipes call it corn, maize. Same plant, same growing advice.

Which zone am I in?

Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cool Temperate zone, Melbourne is its reference city.