State × crop calendar
Sunflowers planting in Louisiana.
- Limited / marginal
- Zone 9a
- 255-day season
- Last frost March 5
- Row Crop
- Semi-Hardy
Sunflowers 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. Sunflowers can be grown in Louisiana with attention to season length and variety selection — primarily a specialty or experimental crop here.
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.
Sunflowers · 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
SunflowersEarliest
February 27
Ideal start
March 12
Ideal end
April 9
Latest
April 30
Soil-temp trigger
Wait for 50°F minimum soil temp. Sunflowers tolerate light frost in seedling stage but not after stem elongation.Harvest window
Typical start
June 10
Typical end
July 10
Harvest timing varies with planting date and seasonal weather — these dates are typical for the ideal planting window.
Growing notes
Sunflowers is challenging in Louisiana's climate — focus on short-season varieties, raised beds, season extension (row cover, low tunnel), or microclimates with longer growing windows.
Sunflowers can be grown in Louisiana with attention to season length and variety selection — primarily a specialty or experimental crop here.
Agronomy reference
Sunflowers fundamentals.
Soil-temp minimum
50°F
Soil-temp optimum
55–80°F
Days to maturity
90–120
Water (in/wk)
0.5–1"
Soil pH
6–7.5
Nitrogen demand
moderate
Growing-degree-day requirement: 2000 GDD (base 44°F) from planting to maturity.
Oil-type sunflowers grown for crushing; confection-type for human consumption. Both work as dove fields — confection for larger seeds.
Common pests to watch
- Sunflower head moth
- Banded sunflower moth
- Birds (during head fill)
Pest pressure varies by region and year. Confirm current outbreaks with LSU AgCenter.
Common diseases
- Sclerotinia head rot
- Phomopsis
- Rust
Resistance varieties shift each year. Check the current variety trial report for your state.
Variety selection
Sunflowers 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 “sunflowers variety trial” or “recommended sunflowers 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.
Sunflowers 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.
Start free trial →