Who doesn't love biting into a fresh ear of corn with butter and salt and pepper
or the aroma of fresh baked cornbread coming out of the oven. Today we're going
to talk about how to grow corn. The most popular choice for home gardens is of
course sweet corn. This is a type you'll grow if you want corn on the cob or
fresh corn kernels. Sweet corn varieties come in white yellow or bicolor. Flint
corn and dent corn come in a wide variety of colors and can be used as
autumn decorations. Before processing them for meal, flour, polenta or hominy.
Popcorn is another fun choice. Grow your own traditional yellow or multicolored
corn for popping. You might also plant multiple varieties with different
lengths of time until harvest so that you can enjoy an extended season of
fresh corn. If you have enough space you can plant multiple varieties all in the
same bed unless you are saving the seed from your harvest for next year's
planting. Why don't you try to plant some colorful corn as well as sweet corn.
That's what I'm gonna do. Direct seed your corn two weeks after the last frost
date. Your soil temperature needs to be sixty degrees in order for the corn to
germinate. Corn does not transplant well but if the season is so short that you
must start it indoors, plant in biodegradable pots to avoid disturbing
the roots when transplanting. A better solution is to help the soil warm faster
before seeding outdoors by using black mulch in your garden beds. This will heat
the soil faster. Soak the seeds overnight and you'll get faster germination. Corn
requires full Sun because it grows so tall and dense. Consider what you will be
planting nearby which may be affected by the shade that it makes. No matter what
kind of corn you want to grow it's all planted the same way.
Prepare your garden bed for planting by adding plenty of organic matter. Corn is
a heavy feeder that needs high nitrogen fertilizer such as alfalfa or blood meal
or cottonseed meal. Another excellent way to fertilize your corn is to plant a
legume cover crop in the fall and turn it under a few weeks before planting the
corn. Corn requires being planted in a cluster for adequate pollination. Instead
of planting one long row you should plan on planting a patch of at least three
closely spaced short rows. You will need at least 16 square feet if you plant at
the most dense spacing possible which is one foot between stalks. Plant them at a
depth of one inch with two to three seeds per hole. And if you would like to
use a mechanical tiller between rows you can increase that space to 36 inches but
maintain a 1 foot spacing within rows. If you plant a little more densely you can
thin to about 1 foot between stalks. The next step is to make sure that you have
adequate even watering.
Right after we planted the corn about a month ago, I laid down the drip tape. Drip
is the best way to irrigate your corn. It prevents sprinkler knock down of the
stalks. I'm fertilizing with this bio fish it's high in nitrogen and corn are
heavy feeding plants. So it's important to maintain your little corn bed keep it
free of weeds. I'm doing a little bit more thinning. And the weeds love my corn. And
you want to give them as much room without weed penetration as possible. I'm
mulching with Mega Mulch and I'm putting it down pretty thick. I want to retain
moisture and suppress weeds. I'm looking forward to harvesting at the end of
summer and having a nice corn barbecue.
Corn earworms, corn borers and other caterpillars can get inside of your ears
of corn and do a little bit of damage. If you put a clothespin right on the corn
ear just below the silk as soon as the silk has formed you can prevent them
from damaging your crop.
With good care your corn should produce two ears per stock and to harvest just
push down on the ear and twist.
Sweet corn should be eaten or preserved within three days of harvest. If you
can't do that you should blanch them and freeze them until you're ready to
preserve or eat them. Dry corns should be left on the stock until just before the
first frost. If you're in a damp climate you can harvest the ears and stack them
in a cool dry place. So grow some organic corn and grow organic for life!