Discover the growing corn methods to a healthy and abundent crop.

Growing Corn

Preparation of the spot you will be planting corn should be done in the winter. This is the time to dig up the ground and add compost to the dirt. Then a couple of weeks before you will be planting add to the soil as well.

The spot you choose should not be exposed to a lot of wind and should have adequate drainage. The soil needs to be deep and this area should have full sun.

Grow corn from seed:

Soaking the seeds for 24 hours is recommended by many people in order to get a good start on the sprouting process. Another really important step when growing sweet corn is to plant in a rectangle of four rows.

The rows should be about a foot apart.

The seeds should be placed in the gardening soil rather than trying to start them elsewhere because they are really hard to transplant.

The importance of planting the corn in a rectangle and the spacing is crucial to pollination.

Two seeds should be sewn at the same time about 18 inches apart and about an inch deep. This will allow you to remove the plant that does not look as healthy as the other.

The weeds should be pulled away from the corn plant with care. If you get too close to the plant itself you may damage it.

Sometimes the roots of the plant will show above ground. One of the best ways to protect the gardening area is to put either compost or soil over them. These are called tillers and they are necessary for the corn plant to grow.

As the corn grows if they need support, you can stake them. When you grow corn keep in mind the vegetable needs plenty of water especially when the weather is hot and when they begin to flower. When you notice the corn cobs begin to swell, a good idea is to add a liquid fertilizer.

Harvesting Growing Corn:

There will be several cobs on each plant. The best way to check to see if the vegetable is ripe is when the silks at the top of the plant turn dark. Then pull back on the husk of one of the ears and squeeze one of the kernels of corn.

If the liquid that comes out looks like water, it is not ripe yet and if it is a creamy looking liquid, it is ripe. In the event, the liquid is almost solid and very thick it is too ripe. Twisting the ear off the plant is the best way of picking it without harming the plant.

Sweet Corn growing tips

• Many people who are growing corn will tell you that the best flavor is had if you boil the corn within 10 minutes of picking it.

• By planting the seeds a half an inch into the ground, the birds will not be able to get your seed but it is deep enough to develop.

• The corn must be kept watered and should never be allowed to dry out.

• Most corn takes between two and three months to ripen for eating. Read the package of the type of corn you choose so you will know how long the type you are planting takes.

• Do not plant the corn near any other type of corn because this may result in cross-pollination and you will have something other than what you planted.

• Use a high quality Corn Fertilizer

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