How to Grow Stevia USA
On this page
In the US, stevia planted out early March to late March.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the USA: there are 7 separate regional planting out windows, ranging from early February in Deep South & Gulf Coast to early May in Intermountain West.
The short answer
- Plant out
- Early March to late March
- Site
- 2+ hours of sun, soil pH 5.5–7
- Biggest risk
- Septoria leaf spot of stevia
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)
3 sources cited · Verified
Regional Planting Calendar
| Region | Plant out |
|---|---|
| Pacific Northwest derived | early March to late March |
| Northeast & New England derived | early April to mid April |
| Lower Midwest & Ohio Valley derived | mid April to late April |
| Intermountain West derived | early May to mid May |
| N. Plains & Upper Midwest derived | late April to early May |
| Mid-Atlantic & Upper South derived | early April to mid April |
| Deep South & Gulf Coast derived | early February to mid February |
Rows marked derived are interpolated between regions our sources do state, because no source we consulted gives a figure for that region specifically. They are deliberately wider to reflect that uncertainty.
Pacific Northwest - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Frost-tender; plant outside after all risk of frost has passed (RHS); grown as an annual outside USDA zones 10-11, moved indoors or discarded before first frost if kept longer (NC State Extension). Applied to a mean last frost of 8 March (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 8 March to 22 March. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Northeast & New England - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Frost-tender; plant outside after all risk of frost has passed (RHS); grown as an annual outside USDA zones 10-11, moved indoors or discarded before first frost if kept longer (NC State Extension). Applied to a mean last frost of 6 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 6 April to 20 April. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Lower Midwest & Ohio Valley - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Frost-tender; plant outside after all risk of frost has passed (RHS); grown as an annual outside USDA zones 10-11, moved indoors or discarded before first frost if kept longer (NC State Extension). Applied to a mean last frost of 16 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 16 April to 30 April. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Intermountain West - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Frost-tender; plant outside after all risk of frost has passed (RHS); grown as an annual outside USDA zones 10-11, moved indoors or discarded before first frost if kept longer (NC State Extension). Applied to a mean last frost of 6 May (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 6 May to 20 May. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
N. Plains & Upper Midwest - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Frost-tender; plant outside after all risk of frost has passed (RHS); grown as an annual outside USDA zones 10-11, moved indoors or discarded before first frost if kept longer (NC State Extension). Applied to a mean last frost of 25 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 25 April to 9 May. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Mid-Atlantic & Upper South - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Frost-tender; plant outside after all risk of frost has passed (RHS); grown as an annual outside USDA zones 10-11, moved indoors or discarded before first frost if kept longer (NC State Extension). Applied to a mean last frost of 4 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 4 April to 18 April. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Deep South & Gulf Coast - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Frost-tender; plant outside after all risk of frost has passed (RHS); grown as an annual outside USDA zones 10-11, moved indoors or discarded before first frost if kept longer (NC State Extension). Applied to a mean last frost of 2 February (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 2 February to 16 February. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Quick Facts
At a Glance
Soil & Growing Conditions
Growth Stages
Harvest & Storage
Diseases
Pests
Plan your Stevia planting
When to sow and plant Stevia depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
What the research guides add
Stevia is a tender perennial from Brazil and Paraguay, which decides how it has to be grown in most gardens.
- A tender perennial in the daisy family that grows 1 to 2 feet tall and as wide, grown for sweet leaves that are ground to make a sugar substitute. (NC State Extension)
- It prefers full sun, tolerates partial shade, and needs moist, well-drained, slightly acidic, organically rich, loamy or sandy soil. (NC State Extension)
- It is winter hardy in USDA zones 10 to 11; in North Carolina it is grown as an annual and brought indoors before the first frost. (NC State Extension)
- Fertilise about every 4 to 6 weeks in the growing season. Leaves are harvested about 90 days after planting, best just as the plant begins to flower, cutting stems about 6 inches above the ground. (NC State Extension)
- It can be propagated by stem cuttings or seeds. Overwatering can cause root rot, and aphids and spider mites are worth watching for. (NC State Extension)
Stevia in the USA: climate data
| City | USDA zone | Last spring freeze (32°F) | First fall freeze (32°F) | Freeze-free days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck, ND | 4a | 14 May | 27 Sep | 136 |
| Madison, WI | 5b | 1 May | 10 Oct | 160 |
| Milwaukee, WI | 6a | 19 Apr | 29 Oct | 192 |
| Atlanta, GA | 8a | 15 Mar | 20 Nov | 252 |
| Orlando, FL | 10a | 25 Jan | winter freezes only | 355 |
| San Diego, CA | 11a | none in a median year | none in a median year | 365 |
Dates are the median 32°F freeze dates and freeze-free days from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; zones come from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map (ZIP code of each city centre).
Sources for this section
Section researched and checked on 25 October 2026 by the SoilCommander Editorial Team. How we check facts: editorial policy.
Growing Stevia in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
-
USDA hardiness zones 10a-11b. Full sun (6+ hrs) or partial shade (2-6 hrs). Soil pH acidic (<6.0) to neutral (6.0-8.0), loamy or sandy, well-drained. Spacing 12in-3ft. Height/spread 1-2ft. Propagate by stem cuttings or seed. Leaves harvested approx 90 days after planting; best harvested just as it begins to flower; prune flower buds to improve leaf flavour. Keep soil moist -- overwatering causes root rot. Fertilize every 4-6 weeks during growing season. Blooms July-August, small white tubular flowers in clusters. Pest issues: aphids and spider mites. No known serious disease issues (see separate NC State Septoria leaf spot publication, which documents a real disease not mentioned on this general toolbox page). Native to Brazil and Paraguay. In North Carolina grown as an annual, moved indoors before first frost if kept as a perennial.
-
Caused by the fungus Septoria steviae -- stevia is the only known host. Symptoms begin as small necrotic lesions at the base of the plant that move upward in the canopy under favourable conditions; lesions coalesce causing leaf necrosis and eventual defoliation. Pycnidia form within lesions, releasing conidia spread by rain splash. Disease spreads most rapidly in periods of high rainfall with cool night temperatures (typically September-October in North Carolina). When stevia is grown as a perennial, inoculum overwinters in plant debris and re-infects new stems the following season.
These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, NC State Extension Publications, Royal Horticultural Society) is in the references of our UK guide to stevia; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I plant stevia out in the USA?
In Deep South & Gulf Coast, from early February. In Intermountain West, wait until early May. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to plant out only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.
What soil pH does stevia need?
A pH of about 5.5–7. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect stevia?
Our data links 1 disease and 3 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.
Get the USA Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for US growing conditions
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-10-25
Related guides
More from the same group (herbs & aromatics):
Growing advice for your part of the USA
Timing and conditions change a lot inside one country. These guides cover frost dates and growing seasons region by region.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.