How to grow Sweet Corn
How to grow Sweet Corn - Description
Sweetcorn is wind pollinated and best planted in large blocks, where the male flowers at the top of the plant have more opportunity to shed their pollen on the female tassels (where the cobs will form) below.
Cornstalks growing with ample moisture and in well-prepared, fertile soil can be expected to produce two ears per stalk.
Each plant will produce one or two cobs, so work out how many cobs you're likely to need (you can freeze them) and provide enough space to achieve this.
How to grow Sweet Corn - Crop Rotation
Avoid growing in a bed that has grown a crop of corn in the last 3 years.
Growing corn in an area that had healthy beans or peas the previous year is helpful because these legumes contribute more free nitrogen to the soil.
How to grow Sweet Corn - Site & Soil
Sweet corn is a warm-season crop that requires high temperatures and light for optimum germination and rapid growth.
At planting, soil temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees F are best and should not be below 10°C (50°F) for standard sweet corn, or below 15°C (60°F) for supersweets.
Frost will injure sweet corn at any stage of growth and even long, cool spring weather or early warm weather, can cause ear abnormalities. For example, an ear may appear in the tassel, or a tassel or sucker where the ear should be.
Moisture must be continuous through the growth period and is especially critical from silking through kernel growth.
Leaf rolling is a symptom of moisture stress. Water stress at silking leads to poor pollination which shows up later as missing kernels. Kernels at the end of the ear may not develop (poor tip fill) or whole rows of kernels may not develop along the cob.
With temperatures above 35°C (95°F) or hot, drying winds at silking, tip fill is especially poor. In rainy or very damp weather, pollen sticks to the tassel and pollination may also be poor.
Sweet corn thrives best in deep, naturally rich, easily worked soil. However, any well-drained soil is suitable.
Sandy soils are best for early crops since sandy soils warm up faster in the spring than heavy soils.
Sweet corn will adapt to a wide range of soil pH. However, optimum growth is obtained at pH 6.0 to 6.5.
Sweet corn requires rich soil with ample nitrogen and moisture.
How to grow Sweet Corn - Soil Preparation
Even good garden soils may need some fertilizer to produce a top-quality crop.
Aged manure and/or compost, mixed well into the soil, is helpful.
Prepare the soil about 6 inches deep, using either a spade, plough, or rotavator.
Break up the clods to ensure good contact between the soil and the seed, then rake the soil to level the surface.
To ensure your crop gets off to a flying start, spread some general fertiliser granules over the planting area and gently rake in to the surface. If you can, try to do this two or three weeks before planting or sowing.
How to grow Sweet Corn - Sowing seeds
