Planting corn facts
Hardiness: Very tender warm-season annual. Frost will injure top growth; needs warm weather to grow.
Planting: Seed after the danger of frost is past; super-sweet varieties should be planted when soil temperatures reach 65°F. Pre-germinating seed before planting in cool, spring soil may help prevent soil rot or
Southern corn rootworm and
seed-corn maggot problems. Full sun requires direct light at least 6 hours/day; prefers 8 - 10 hours/day.
Days to maturity: 63 - 100.
Spacing: 9"- 12" in-rows x 24"- 36" between rows; minimum of three rows side by side (preferably four rows) to ensure good pollination.
Fertilizer needs: High requirement for nutrients, either from soil organic matter or fertilizers. Incorporate compost prior to planting. Side-dress twice, when plants are 12- to 18-inches high and again when tassels appear. Refer to Fertilizing Vegetables for details.
Approximate yield: 5 to 10 lbs. or roughly 10 to 20 ears per 10-foot row.
Corn pollination
Corn is wind-pollinated. Plant in blocks of at least three to four short rows, rather than one or two long rows, to ensure good pollination and full kernel development.Most of the various types of corn cross-pollinate readily.
To maintain desirable characteristics, extra-sweet and standard sweet corn should be isolated from each other by distance (400 yards) or planting time (two weeks). Sweet corn plantings must be isolated from field corn as well. White and yellow types will also cross-pollinate, altering kernel color.
Harvesting corn
Corn should be harvested when husks are still green, silks brown and dry, kernels full size and yellow or white to the tip of the ear; at milky stage (use a thumbnail to puncture a kernel – if the liquid is clear the corn is immature; if milky it’s ready; and if no sap, you’re too late.
)Cover immature ears with paper bags to prevent insect or bird damage.Corn matures 17 to 24 days after the first silk strands appear, more quickly in hot weather, more slowly in cool weather.
Storage and preservation
Field heat can be removed from ears by plunging them into ice-cold water (add a teaspoon each of bleach and lemon juice per gallon of water) for 15 minutes.Drain the ears and store them in the refrigerator (4 to 5 ears to one-gallon plastic or mesh bag) until ready to use.The corn of the newer types will remain sweet and fresh for 2 to 3 weeks.
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