How to Grow Corn: 9 Essential Steps for Sweet Success

Learning how to grow corn successfully begins with understanding its requirements for sunlight and room to grow. Sweet corn grown at home contains double the amount of vitamin C that sweet corn from the grocery store has. The kernels snap with flavor that you'll never find in a grocery store.

Gardening enthusiasts abound and one of the biggest frustrations is when ears of corn do not fill out. This is usually caused by poor pollination. Corn relies on wind to pollinate between the stalks. Planting in blocks rather than single rows will help nature do its job.

Raccoons and birds sometimes cause problems to crops when they are nearly ripe. An electric fence is a simple way to deter them at night without harming the wildlife. Plants can be staggered every two weeks during the season to ensure fresh corn from early summer to fall frosts.

Spacing and timing will ultimately prove to be a keyword that changes sporadic results into bountiful yields. The labor grants you the sweetness that will last only hours with commercial varieties but for days from your backyard.

Loamy soil provides adequate aeration for corn roots while still maintaining moisture. Clay soils require amendments such as compost to help keep them from being too wet. The USDA soil texture triangle can be used to determine your soil type based on sand, silt, and clay percentages. It is a good idea to test your soil three months in advance of your planting date, as limed soil may require time to shift from an acid state.

To avoid starchy kernels, supersweet corn varieties must be isolated from any other type of corn by 500 feet. To help you conceptualize this distance, consider it to be the length of two football fields. Dwarf varieties such as White Midget grow naturally in 12-inch pots on balconies. This variety typically grows only 5 feet tall and, therefore, will fit very well in a tight space without compromising the size of the ears of corn.

I learned about pH the hard way. My first crop turned yellow signaling the acidic soil. I now test pH yearly in March. Sweet corn prefers 6.0-6.8 pH. It takes eight weeks for pelletized lime to activate. Crushed oyster shells can be used instead if things happen fast.

Growers in a city setting should be seeking container-friendly options. 'Golden Midget' has buttery ears that mature in 70 days. Consider planting with beans grown on a trellis to use the vertical space. Avoid tall varieties in the beds nearest a window. There may be shifts in wind patterns near the building. Staggering your planting in several pots will allow you to have a longer harvest window.

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Compost

• Application: 3-inch (7.6 cm) layer tilled 8 inches (20 cm) deep improves water retention
• Timing: Apply 4 weeks before planting to allow microbial activation
• Quantity: 1 cubic yard (0.76 m³) covers 100 sq ft (9.3 m²) to 3-inch depth

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Balanced Fertilizer

• Ratio: 1 lb (0.45 kg) per 25 sq ft (2.3 m²) provides NPK baseline nutrition
• Method: Band application 3 inches (7.6 cm) beside seed rows prevents burn
• Alternative: 5-3-3 organic blend for container gardening setups

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Perlite

• Function: Improves drainage in heavy clay soils by 40% porosity
• Mix Ratio: 1 part perlite to 3 parts soil (25% volume)
• Application: Incorporate 6 inches (15 cm) deep for root development

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Worm Castings

• Nutrients: Provides 5-3-2 NPK ratio with beneficial microbes
• Application Rate: 10 lbs per 100 sq ft (4.5 kg/9.3 m²)
• Timing: Mix into top 4 inches (10 cm) at planting time

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Biochar

• Benefits: Increases cation exchange capacity by 20-30%
• Preparation: Charge with compost tea before application
• Quantity: 5 lbs per 50 sq ft (2.3 kg/4.6 m²)

How to grow corn is dependent on the timing of planting in your region. In the South, gardeners can plant early varieties like ‘Golden Bantam' in March. In the Northern regions, growers should wait to plant these mid-season types until May. A soil thermometer is a good way to measure soil temperature. Ideally, soil temperature is at least 60°F (16°C) to a depth of 4 inches before planting.

I once neglected to check the temperature and lost a whole crop. Now, I slide the probe into shaded soil each morning. Corn germinates poorly when the soil temperature is below 55°F (13°C). For Fahrenheit to Celsius conversions, simply subtract 30 from Fahrenheit and halve it for an approximate Celsius temperature.

Space seeds 8 inches apart in grid patterns for high-density planting plots. This establishes a living windbreak to assist with pollination. Conventional row-style spacing is wasteful. Conventional 36 inches between stalks, especially transplanted stalks, makes space for weeds to grow. Dwarf varieties like the ‘Golden Midget' can adapt to a 15-gallon pot as long as they are watered twice a day.

Tall varieties have difficulty growing in containers. With stalks rising ten feet high, they can easily fall over during a summer wind. When planning patio gardens, stick to tabletop varieties. Turn pots on their sides and bury seeds slightly deeper (1.5 inches) than usual for stability. Mix perlite with soil to reproduce field drainage.

Organic fertilizers, such as composted manure, will release nitrogen into the soil at a slower pace over 6 - 8 weeks. Synthetic blends of 10 - 10 - 10 will provide nutrients right away; however, it is easy to burn the roots of plants with higher applications. For example, corn planted in sandy soils can lose 40 percent more nitrogen to leaching than soil with more content density. To remedy this, I side-dress with fish emulsion every three weeks to get more consistent nitrogen for the plants.

Drip irrigation aims for direct root targeting. It conserves 30% of water compared to overhead sprinklers. The cost is its initial setup. Overhead watering systems create an environment for fungal disease in humid climates. One season, I lost half my crop to rust before I switched to drip lines.

Sandy soil requires attention. Nitrogen can leach below root zones after heavy rains. Use drip systems with polymer-coated urea for a delayed and consistent release methodology. If you are container-growing corn, for example, daily watering will be needed. Also, for my ‘Golden Midget container corn (that I have on my balcony), I would mix water-retaining crystals into my potting soil.

Container plants should be fed weekly with half-strength 5-3-3 liquid. Ground corn is fine with only monthly feeding. Watch for yellowing leaves at the bottom of the plant--that's a sign of nitrogen deficiency. During ear formation, bury banana peels near the stalks for additional beneficial potassium.

Hand-pollination increases kernel development by 90% due to pollination by wind only. I take a soft brush and move pollen from tassels to silks every morning. Wind-pollinated plots have a lot of gaps in ears, but planting in tight blocks helps mitigate this. When hand-pollinating you have to judge success by timing the silks to have started when pollen shed is at its peak.

Neem oil sprays repel 70% of beetles with weekly application. Diatomaceous earth establishes a razor barrier against cutworms. For squash bugs, I plant radishes as sacrificial crops. Ladybugs released at dusk will reduce aphid colonies within one night without chemicals.

To help deter or repel corn earworms, interplant marigolds at 10 feet apart. Marigolds secrete a compound called alpha-terthienyl from their roots, which is toxic to nematodes. Nearby nasturtiums will prevent leaf beetles from eating your crop. Do not plant the beans too close, as they will compete for nitrogen, and also attract similar pests like leafhoppers.

Spinosad, which the EPA has approved for use, may be applied as a last resort to control a heavy infestation. Make the application at dusk to avoid drifting to bees. I save permethrin for armyworms only. Wear gloves every time. Rotate your chemicals every year to keep them from becoming ineffective through resistance. Store unused sprays in a sealed container away from children.

Sweet corn will stay fresh for approximately 7-10 days at 32°F (0°C) under 95% humid conditions if it is refrigerated. Root cellars can keep temperatures at 40°F (4°C) with 85% humidity for at least 3 weeks. I once lost some corn to mold because I stored ‘Silver Queen' in a root cellar that was over 50°F.

To safely store corn, it must be dried to a moisture content of 15 percent. To test moisture on a handful, squeeze it into a ball and release it. If the kernels do not stick together and spring back apart, it is ready to be stored. I learned this after my first harvest was ruined by humid days in July. After drying, I place my corn in a dehydrator set at 130 °F (54 °C) for 8 hours to prevent spoilage.

To stop the enzyme activity that makes food less flavor you'll want to blanch ears in boiling water for 7 minutes and then freeze them. One time, I skipped this step and after thawing it was mushy kernels. It is also a good idea to shock the corn in ice water immediately after blanching. Don't forget to pat it dry before freezing so that you don't end up with ice crystals.

Varieties sensitive to ethylene, such as ‘Honey Select' and ‘Ambrosia', tend to brown rapidly when exposed to fruits, such as apples or tomatoes. The best option is to store them in perforated plastic bags away from other fruits. I separate my kernels in one of the drawers of my refrigerator. Another option is to place them in glass jars to keep them away from the gas circulation.

Learning how to grow corn involves a cycle of four stages: soil preparation, smart planting, pollination care, and appropriate harvest. In my experience on a small scale garden, gardens can flourish when each step is all taken seriously. Start with good soil. Space seeds sufficiently. Nurture the developing ears. Harvest in a timely manner.

When you stagger your plantings 14 days apart, you can have a never-ending supply of deliciousness throughout the summer! My harvests from July to October provide sustainable food for family BBQs without any gaps.Early varieties such as ‘Quickie' will be ready to harvest in 65 days, and then you can plant mid-season varieties.Finally, you can plant late varieties that can tolerate some light frosts so you can harvest until late autumn!

I use the free soil test kits available at my local extension office every year. The test showed my soil pH was too low for growing crops well. Because of their reports, I made amendments to the soil twice, and my yields doubled. You can search for the closest agency in your area using the USDA's online office directory.

Corn from home gardens bursts with sweetness compared to ears from the grocery store. Freshly harvested kernels maintain 30% more sweetness than their store-bought counterparts because store-bought varieties will lose roughly half their sugar content after 24 hours. My kids will no longer eat corn from the store since tasting ‘Honey ‘n Pearl' corn from our backyard corn patch.