Also called Indian corn or maize, corn originated in the Americas over 10,000 years ago and is now one of the most widely distributed crops in the world. Used as livestock feed, human food, oil, and biofuel, corn is extremely versatile and has become one of the world&#;s most dominant crops. We love to grow it in our summer gardens, as that first bite into a juicy, sweet ear of corn is a harbinger of summertime. Growing your own fresh corn is unlike any subpar offering you can purchase in the store, and we love it fresh, frozen, ground, and popped!
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Make sure the weather is warming up and your soil temperatures are at least 60 to 65°F. Corn will not germinate and seeds can rot if soil temperatures are too cold. The best months to plant are generally May through June, depending on your zone.
Plant corn in full sun in highly fertile, well-drained soil with a 6.0 to 6.8 pH. Sweet corn will prefer rich soil with high nitrogen and plenty of moisture. Soil should be amended prior to planting with aged manure or rich compost. Practice crop rotation by planting corn in the same location where you planted your spring peas to provide beneficial nitrogen that the peas fixed into the soil. Another idea is to plant corn together with beans, which will also provide corn the nitrogen it needs.
Corn is wind pollinated and, especially for smaller plots, should be planted outdoors in blocks, rather than long rows. Seeds should be planted two to three per hole, about one to two inches deep. Plantings should be approximately 12 to 15 inches apart, and rows should be 30 to 36 inches apart. If more than one seed sprouts from a single planting, they should be thinned to the strongest sprout. Shorter varieties can be planted closer, and sweeter varieties should be planted shallower.
Ears will be ready to harvest approximately three weeks after the silk is visible and has become brown. Another way to check: pull down the leaves a bit to reveal the tip of the cob. The corn kernels should be firm and milky when cut open. To harvest, bend and pull the ear downward from the stalk with a twisting motion. Consume or freeze corn immediately for the best quality. A good rule of thumb is the sweeter the corn, the more water it will need, and the warmer the soil temperatures must be.
Water plots well after planting and keep them consistently moist through germination and harvest. As the weather becomes warmer, increase watering. Sufficient moisture is crucial for plants to develop and produce properly. Corn should be fertilized with a nitrogen rich food when plants are about 12 to 18 inches high, and weeds should be controlled so they do not steal moisture and nutrients from your crop. Corn will produce a fairly shallow root system, so take care not to damage it when removing weeds. Weed control in corn plots is best achieved by a thick mulching, which also helps to maintain moisture.
If you have enough land planted with corn, your plants will pollinate by themselves with the help of passing wind. Keep in mind that each strand of silk MUST be pollinated by the pollen found in the tassels above the corn stalks in order for the kernels to mature. Most pollen shedding occurs after the morning dew has dried, around 9 to 11am.
If you only have a small corner with sweet corn, don&#;t expect self-pollination to happen. Between a small number of plants, pollen shed from the tassels may blow away before enough of its microscopic grains land on the corn silks. If there is not enough pollen from the tassels to spread around and touch the silks, the kernels will not develop. Therefore, it is most important to plant your corn in blocks, never in just one or two long rows.
If necessary, hand pollinate your corn by snapping the tassels (male part) of a few stalks and use them like feather dusters over the emerging silks (female part). Do this each day for a week, ensuring that you do not remove too many tassels before the week&#;s end.
Growing corn is such a joy! There's just something so special about harvesting lovely bright yellow corn cobs from your own garden. I always try to start the seeds in late spring so that I have a few plants ready when the soil gets warmer. This process starts in mid-May where I live, but this depends on how warm it is where you grow of course.
There are a few things you need to know if you want to grow your corn from seed. It's easier to just buy the plants of course.
If you plan on sowing corn, then you need to do it in a warm spot. The easiest way might just be to put your sowing in the greenhouse where you don't have to worry about getting enough light. Just make sure that it doesn't get too cold in there during the nights. You can always sow your corn indoors and then put the sowing in a window. Around 68-86 degrees (20-30 degrees Celsius) would be a preferable soil temperature.
Corn should normally germinate in just a few days, or at least less than ten. But if the soil is very damp and cold then the corn kernels might start to rot.
Don't leave your corn in pots for too long. The plants can get quite unhealthy and even die if they stay in the pots too long. Some people swear by it, but I think that it's an unnecessary risk. That's why I try to transplant my corn plants as soon as possible.
Transplanting can be difficult at times though, because the root system is quite sensitive. If you plan on transplanting, then I would recommend growing the corn in plug trays or pots that you can open up. This way, you don't need to disturb the roots.
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I grow corn each year, and I follow the same routine every time. You can use this method too if you want, and just adapt it to your particular circumstances. Corn takes long to develop and is generally sensitive to cold soil. That's why I always start my seeds indoors. Then I'm sure to have nice plants I can put outside later in summer.
Some sources say that you can start the seeds up to six weeks before planting. But just remember that when corn starts growing, it happens very fast. The plants are usually ready for transplanting in less than two weeks. If you wait longer than that, you get lots of extra work to do and you also take a bit of a risk. The plants tend to get quite sensitive after a while. Especially if we can't give them a perfect environment to grow in. After the corn is planted, it generally does a good job taking care of itself.
Most likely, something is wrong with either the temperature or how damp/dry the soil is. Try to do the sowing again and put your batch in a warmer/cooler spot, and experiment with the watering too. The seeds germinate underneath the soil after all. So, a lot can be going on without our knowledge.
You can, but I don't recommend it. If different varieties cross-pollinate, then you might not get the results you want at all. That's why I would stick to one variety at a time. The pollen can travel very far, so putting the varieties in different parts of the garden doesn't help.
Corn actually takes quite a long time to develop and ripen. You can always look for varieties that don't take as long (some might take a few weeks less than others), and of course start your seeds indoors before putting your plants in warm soil outdoors. Remember to choose a warm and sheltered spot of course. Corn likes warm summers, nutrient-rich soil and a steady supply of water.
Some of you might wonder if it's possible to direct-sow kernels in the soil outside. The answer is yes, you can. But it all depends on where you live of course. I live in zone 3 and the season is short, often with unpredictable weather too. So, adapt to your circumstances and try to give your corn what it needs. This is generally easier if you start your seeds indoors, in my opinion.
If you want to know more about corn, I recommend searching for corn in the search bar here on my blog. I have plenty of content about corn both here and on my YouTube channel Sara's Kitchen Garden. Check it out!
Good luck growing corn in your garden!
/Sara Bäckmo
16. May
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