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Crop dates by placeCotton Planting Dates by State and Region
Published cotton planting windows for 17 places, with the source and the caveats you need before you use them.
Across the 17 places in this data set, the planting window begins as early as Mar 15 (Arizona) and as late as May 10 (Kansas). The middle of the range starts around Apr 20.
| Place | Planting | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Planting: Apr 5 to Jun 6 | Sep 5 to Dec 1 |
| Arizona | Planting: Mar 15 to May 15 | Sep 15 to Dec 25 |
| Arkansas | Planting: Apr 23 to May 31 | Sep 20 to Nov 20 |
| California | Planting: Apr 1 to May 15 | Oct 5 to Nov 20 |
| Florida | Planting: Apr 15 to Jun 15 | Sep 20 to Dec 15 |
| Georgia | Planting: Apr 23 to Jun 11 | Sep 23 to Dec 18 |
| Kansas | Planting: May 10 to Jun 25 | Oct 15 to Dec 30 |
| Louisiana | Planting: Apr 17 to May 26 | Sep 14 to Nov 6 |
| Mississippi | Planting: Apr 20 to May 29 | Sep 15 to Nov 12 |
| Missouri | Planting: Apr 22 to May 29 | Sep 17 to Nov 24 |
| New Mexico | Planting: Apr 10 to May 20 | Oct 10 to Dec 20 |
| North Carolina | Planting: Apr 20 to Jun 1 | Sep 30 to Dec 15 |
| Oklahoma | Planting: May 2 to Jun 18 | Oct 4 to Dec 24 |
| South Carolina | Planting: Apr 24 to Jun 1 | Sep 23 to Dec 5 |
| Tennessee | Planting: Apr 25 to Jun 5 | Sep 20 to Nov 25 |
| Texas | Planting: Mar 22 to Jun 20 | Aug 10 to Jan 11 |
| Virginia | Planting: Apr 23 to May 16 | Sep 30 to Nov 27 |
Calendar view
| Item | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama planting | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | Planting window in June | |||||||||
| Alabama harvest | Harvest window, most active in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window in November | Harvest window in December | ||||||||
| Arizona planting | Planting window in March | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window in May | |||||||||
| Arizona harvest | Harvest window in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | Harvest window in December | ||||||||
| Arkansas planting | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | ||||||||||
| Arkansas harvest | Harvest window, most active in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | |||||||||
| California planting | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | ||||||||||
| California harvest | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | ||||||||||
| Florida planting | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | Planting window in June | |||||||||
| Florida harvest | Harvest window in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | Harvest window in December | ||||||||
| Georgia planting | Planting window in April | Planting window, most active in May | Planting window in June | |||||||||
| Georgia harvest | Harvest window in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | Harvest window, most active in December | ||||||||
| Kansas planting | Planting window, most active in May | Planting window, most active in June | ||||||||||
| Kansas harvest | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | Harvest window, most active in December | |||||||||
| Louisiana planting | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | ||||||||||
| Louisiana harvest | Harvest window, most active in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window in November | |||||||||
| Mississippi planting | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | ||||||||||
| Mississippi harvest | Harvest window, most active in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window in November | |||||||||
| Missouri planting | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | ||||||||||
| Missouri harvest | Harvest window, most active in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | |||||||||
| New Mexico planting | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | ||||||||||
| New Mexico harvest | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | Harvest window in December | |||||||||
| North Carolina planting | Planting window in April | Planting window, most active in May | Planting window in June | |||||||||
| North Carolina harvest | Harvest window in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | Harvest window in December | ||||||||
| Oklahoma planting | Planting window, most active in May | Planting window, most active in June | ||||||||||
| Oklahoma harvest | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | Harvest window, most active in December | |||||||||
| South Carolina planting | Planting window in April | Planting window, most active in May | Planting window in June | |||||||||
| South Carolina harvest | Harvest window in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | Harvest window in December | ||||||||
| Tennessee planting | Planting window in April | Planting window, most active in May | Planting window in June | |||||||||
| Tennessee harvest | Harvest window, most active in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | |||||||||
| Texas planting | Planting window in March | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | Planting window, most active in June | ||||||||
| Texas harvest | Harvest window in January | Harvest window in August | Harvest window, most active in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November | Harvest window, most active in December | ||||||
| Virginia planting | Planting window, most active in April | Planting window, most active in May | ||||||||||
| Virginia harvest | Harvest window in September | Harvest window, most active in October | Harvest window, most active in November |
Frost-date caveat: ranges blur real differences inside a state or region. Use them to plan, then fit them to your last frost date, soil temperature and field conditions.
Related guides
Last reviewed: November 2026. Source: USDA NASS, Field Crops Usual Planting and Harvesting Dates (October 2010 edition, copy hosted by Cornell University Mann Library). Dates are the usual start and end of the period when about 5% to 95% of the crop is planted or harvested, from long-run state progress data. They are historic averages, not a forecast.