Sweet corn, feed corn, and popcorn, there is a huge number of corn varieties the home gardener can choose to grow, from dwarf to standard and sweet to sweeter.
In the small home garden sweet corn is often not grown because, like potatoes, it takes up a lot of space. Corn is vulnerable to wind, especially in small plots, hates the frost, demands a big share of any soil nutrients and is often plagued by weeds and disease.
To compound those issues, corn and has more than its share of pests and critters waiting to beat you to the first bite.
So, why bother growing sweet corn? Because there truly is no sweeter taste than that of corn that is eaten within minutes of being picked.
|Veggie Garden Dairy|
|Also Known As||Indian corn, pole corn, sugar corn|
|Botanical||Family - Poaceae, Genus - Zea, Species - Z. mays|
|Plant Type||Warm season - annual - fruiting vegetable|
|Planting Position||Grow in full sun - Requires at least 8-10 hours of direct sunlight daily.|
|Seed Viability||1 year|
|Germination||7-10 days at 60-90 F (16-32 C)|
|Growing Temp||70-95 F (21-35 C)|
|Seed to Transplant||Direct sow|
|Planting Method||Direct sow only|
|When to Plant||Spring|
|Time to Plant||Wait until at least 1-2 weeks after the last average 32 F (0 C) freeze in your area but not before soil temperature are consistently 60 F (16 C) or above.|
|Seed Sowing||Direct sowing sweet corn seeds - 1- 11/2 inch (25-38 mm) deep - Early cultivars 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) apart in row and late cultivars 9-12 inches apart in rows that are 2 feet (60 cm) apart.|
|Plant Spacing||Direct sow sweet corn seeds only - do not thin|
|Soil Conditions||Well drained - Moderate to high organic matter - Rich fertility|
|Fertilizer||High fertilizer needs, 5-6 quarts per 100 sq feet (5.5-6.6 liters per 9.3 square meters) preplanting of All-Purpose 5-5-5 Organic Fertilizer , same rate for each side dressing.|
|When to Fertilize||2 weeks before sowing -side-dress when plants are 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) high, and again when first silk appears|
|Days to Harvest||60-100 days - depending on conditions and variety|