When to plant Lemongrass
Computed from land-grant Extension planting-window rules (cited below), localized to real ZIP-level median frost dates, not a single national guess. These are national-generic rules by hardiness class; individual state Extension offices layer their own regional adjustment on top (earlier in the Deep South, later in the Upper Midwest). Enter your ZIP for your own dates, or read the four representative locations below.
Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.
Representative timing, by climate band
When to plant Lemongrass in four US climates
Each column is the most nursery-dense location in our directory within that USDA zone band, computed from that location's own real median frost dates, not a made-up example.
| Stage |
Zones 1-5 (cold winters)
Fort Plain, NY |
Zones 6-7 (temperate)
McMinnville, TN |
Zones 8-9 (warm)
Apopka, FL |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)
Loxahatchee, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start seed indoors | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Direct-sow outside | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Transplant outside | May 6–May 20 | Apr 7–Apr 21 | Feb 24–Mar 10 | – |
| Fall planting | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Expected harvest | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent) (Loxahatchee, FL): Frost is rare here (about 359 frost-free days a year); most years see little or no hard freeze. This is a tender crop. In climates like this one, tender and very-tender crops typically go in before the hottest months arrive, not on a frost-relative schedule.
Lemongrass is a tender perennial grown as an annual across almost all of this site's range. Utah State University Extension says so directly (How to Grow Lemongrass in Your Garden), and Clemson Cooperative Extension's Herbs factsheet (HGIC 1311) rates it hardy only in coastal USDA zones 9 and 10. Outside that narrow coastal band, treat it as a plant you buy fresh each spring, not one that overwinters outdoors.
In zones 9 and 10, lemongrass can stay in the ground year to year. Everywhere colder, plant it after your last frost, or start it in a container and move it outdoors once temperatures have warmed; USU notes the root tissue dies below about 20°F, well above what most winters outside that coastal band deliver.
In cool climates the main harvest comes in late summer, just before the first fall frost cuts the season short, per USU. Lemongrass is typically bought and grown from a purchased division or rooted start rather than seed, and no source gives a seed-based days-to-maturity figure.
Frost hardiness
Tender. Damaged or killed by frost. Plant after the last frost date.
Sourcing notes
USU: 'tender perennial that is commonly grown as an annual' in cooler climates; Clemson: hardy only in coastal USDA zones 9-10. Plant after last frost, or start in a container and move outdoors once temperatures warm; USU notes root tissue is killed below ~20 degrees F, and in cool climates the main harvest comes late summer just before the first fall frost. Typically grown from purchased divisions/starts, not seed -- no sourced DTM.
Related crops
Growing zones for this crop
Nurseries near these locations
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Sources
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Herbs (HGIC 1311) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- Utah State University Extension, How to Grow Lemongrass in Your Garden (accessed 2026-08-04)