Bield:Farm
Crop directory

Winter Rye across all 50 states.

Secale cerealeCover CropFrost Hardy240270 days to maturitySoil-temp ≥ 38°F

Winter Rye (Secale cereale) is a cover crop crop with a frost hardy frost profile. Across all 50 states, 46 have winter rye as a primary crop, 3 as secondary, 1 as limited, and 0 as trial-only.

Agronomy reference

Soil-temp minimum
38°F
Soil-temp optimum
45–75°F
Days to maturity
240–270
Water (in/wk)
0.5–1"
Soil pH
5.5–7.5
Nitrogen demand
moderate

Source: plants.usda.gov

Primary in 46 states

Commercially significant or common.

  • Alabama
    Zone 8a
    Fall · October 29November 19
  • Alaska
    Zone 4a
    Fall · August 29September 19
  • Arizona
    Zone 8b
    Fall · November 3November 24
  • Arkansas
    Zone 7b
    Fall · October 18November 8
  • Colorado
    Zone 5b
    Fall · September 28October 19
  • Connecticut
    Zone 6b
    Fall · October 8October 29
  • Delaware
    Zone 7a
    Fall · October 18November 8
  • Georgia
    Zone 8a
    Fall · October 29November 19
  • Idaho
    Zone 5b
    Fall · September 18October 9
  • Illinois
    Zone 6a
    Fall · October 8October 29
  • Indiana
    Zone 6a
    Fall · October 3October 24
  • Iowa
    Zone 5a
    Fall · September 28October 19
  • Kansas
    Zone 6a
    Fall · October 8October 29
  • Kentucky
    Zone 6b
    Fall · October 13November 3
  • Maine
    Zone 5a
    Fall · September 18October 9
  • Maryland
    Zone 7a
    Fall · October 18November 8
  • Massachusetts
    Zone 6a
    Fall · October 3October 24
  • Michigan
    Zone 5b
    Fall · September 28October 19
  • Minnesota
    Zone 4a
    Fall · September 18October 9
  • Mississippi
    Zone 8a
    Fall · October 29November 19
  • Missouri
    Zone 6b
    Fall · October 13November 3
  • Montana
    Zone 4b
    Fall · September 13October 4
  • Nebraska
    Zone 5a
    Fall · September 28October 19
  • Nevada
    Zone 7a
    Fall · October 8October 29
  • New Hampshire
    Zone 5b
    Fall · September 24October 15
  • New Jersey
    Zone 7a
    Fall · October 18November 8
  • New Mexico
    Zone 7a
    Fall · October 8October 29
  • New York
    Zone 5b
    Fall · October 3October 24
  • North Carolina
    Zone 7b
    Fall · October 23November 13
  • North Dakota
    Zone 4a
    Fall · September 13October 4
  • Ohio
    Zone 6a
    Fall · October 3October 24
  • Oklahoma
    Zone 7a
    Fall · October 18November 8
  • Oregon
    Zone 8a
    Fall · October 13November 3
  • Pennsylvania
    Zone 6b
    Fall · October 8October 29
  • Rhode Island
    Zone 7a
    Fall · October 18November 8
  • South Carolina
    Zone 8a
    Fall · October 29November 19
  • South Dakota
    Zone 4b
    Fall · September 18October 9
  • Tennessee
    Zone 7a
    Fall · October 18November 8
  • Texas
    Zone 8b
    Fall · November 8November 29
  • Utah
    Zone 6b
    Fall · October 3October 24
  • Vermont
    Zone 5a
    Fall · September 18October 9
  • Virginia
    Zone 7a
    Fall · October 18November 8
  • Washington
    Zone 8a
    Fall · October 18November 8
  • West Virginia
    Zone 6b
    Fall · October 8October 29
  • Wisconsin
    Zone 5a
    Fall · September 28October 19
  • Wyoming
    Zone 4b
    Fall · September 8September 29

Secondary in 3 states

Grown but not at scale; often gardens / food plots / cover.

  • California
    Zone 9a
    Fall · November 23December 14
  • Florida
    Zone 9b
    Fall · December 8December 29
  • Louisiana
    Zone 9a
    Fall · November 8November 29

Limited in 1 states

Marginal — only the warmest counties or season-extended setups.

  • Hawaii
    Zone 11a
    Fall · December 24January 14

Beyond the harvest

Hunting use · food plot

Winter Rye as a hunting food plot.

Winter rye is a four-season food plot — fall green-up for late deer season, spring strut zones for turkey, and standing rye through summer for cover. The most versatile cover crop for hunters.

Attractswhitetail deerwild turkey
Farm pond · ecosystem

Winter Rye and your farm pond.

Winter rye planted along farm pond banks reduces erosion and runoff into the pond, improving water clarity for bass and bluegill spawn success.

Winter Rye planting in your county.

Bield: Farm ties weather and soil-temperature stations in your county to winter rye planting thresholds — get notified when conditions clear your target.