State × crop calendar
Cotton planting in Louisiana.
- Primary crop
- Zone 9a
- 255-day season
- Last frost March 5
- Row Crop
- Frost Sensitive
Cotton planting in Louisiana is shaped by the state's 9a dominant hardiness zone, last frost date around March 5, and a 255-day growing season. Cotton is widely grown in Louisiana — 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 LSU AgCenter for variety- and county-specific guidance.
Planting calendar — 2026
Frost-anchored windows.
Cotton · Louisiana · 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
CottonEarliest
March 12
Ideal start
March 19
Ideal end
April 9
Latest
April 30
Soil-temp trigger
Wait for 65°F minimum soil temp at 2-inch depth, sustained for 3-5 days. Cotton emerges very slowly below this threshold.Harvest window
Typical start
August 16
Typical end
September 15
Harvest timing varies with planting date and seasonal weather — these dates are typical for the ideal planting window.
Growing notes
Cotton grows well in Louisiana's typical climate. Louisiana's 255-day growing season and 9a hardiness zone support reliable production with appropriate variety selection.
Cotton is widely grown in Louisiana — commercially significant or common in home gardens and food plots.
Agronomy reference
Cotton fundamentals.
Soil-temp minimum
65°F
Soil-temp optimum
68–95°F
Days to maturity
150–180
Water (in/wk)
0.8–1.5"
Soil pH
5.8–7
Nitrogen demand
moderate
Growing-degree-day requirement: 2200 GDD (base 60°F) from planting to maturity.
Cotton requires a long, warm growing season — generally limited to USDA zones 7 and warmer with adequate growing season length.
Common pests to watch
- Bollworm
- Lygus bug
- Spider mites
Pest pressure varies by region and year. Confirm current outbreaks with LSU AgCenter.
Common diseases
- Verticillium wilt
- Fusarium wilt
- Cotton root rot
Resistance varieties shift each year. Check the current variety trial report for your state.
Variety selection
Cotton varieties for Louisiana 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.
LSU AgCenter →Search the extension site for “cotton variety trial” or “recommended cotton 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.
Cotton 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.
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