State × crop calendar
Sunflowers planting in Massachusetts.
- Primary crop
- Zone 6a
- 165-day season
- Last frost May 1
- Row Crop
- Semi-Hardy
Sunflowers planting in Massachusetts is shaped by the state's 6a dominant hardiness zone, last frost date around May 1, and a 165-day growing season. Sunflowers is widely grown in Massachusetts — 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 UMass Extension for variety- and county-specific guidance.
Planting calendar — 2026
Frost-anchored windows.
Sunflowers · Massachusetts · 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
April 24
Ideal start
May 8
Ideal end
June 5
Latest
June 26
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
August 6
Typical end
September 5
Harvest timing varies with planting date and seasonal weather — these dates are typical for the ideal planting window.
Growing notes
Sunflowers grows well in Massachusetts's typical climate. Massachusetts's 165-day growing season and 6a hardiness zone support reliable production with appropriate variety selection.
Sunflowers is widely grown in Massachusetts — commercially significant or common in home gardens and food plots.
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 UMass Extension.
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 Massachusetts 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.
UMass Extension →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 →