When are you guys planting corn.

[N80]

We're expecting record highs over the next couple of days. But, I've seen plenty of frosts in April too. My grandmother remembered a snow on Easter once but I've never seen that.

Anyway, I'll probably wait a few weeks. I've just got a week off from work next week and thought it would be good to plant since I had the time and because several old timers at the Farmer's Exchange where I get my corn said that they plant in early April.

I'm in no rush though and I only do one planting so it will be safer to wait.

 

[dave1949]

Ditto LureMaker, it must be nice to think about planting now.

If I plant early sweet corn then wait 2-3 weeks and plant again, and the weather is kind, it pays off. If the Spring weather is not warm, the two plantings ripen very close to each other. That is what happens more often than not to me
Dave.

 

[firefighter9208]

I've been knocking around the idea of planting my Mosby's white prolific field corn on Saturday, April 3. It has a maturation of 85 days to Rosen ears and 120 days to dry corn. If I plant on Saturday (1 acre) I would be able to start hauling the corn on about the 28th of June.

I would then wait one week and plant another acre and wait another week and plant another acre. That would give me corn to haul through about the middle of July.

Am I jumping the gun here???? Most people plant sweet corn (Silver Queen 85 day maturation) here the first or 2nd week of April to have corn for the Fourth of July.

Last year I planted my field corn the 2nd week of April and ended up hauling the first load on July 15th. I want to get started hauling earlier this year.

I plan to plant my Yellow Field Corn (feed corn) about the second week in April (about the 17th).

Keep in mind that I live in Alabama. The high today is going to be 82. I was wearing short sleeves last night about 11:00 PM when I was disking the 3 acres that I'm going to plant me field corn on.

 

[N80]

I can't help you. I know less about field corn than I do sweet corn and I only plant about 1/3 acre of sweet corn.

Of course the first year I only planted about 4 40' rows and we got well over 300 ears. We gave some away and cut the rest off the cob and froze it.

Last year I planted a lot more and between the deer eating the sprouts and a a bad dry spell at the worst time I only got a few dozen ears. If I get the same yield this year as I did the first year but on 1/3 acre I could get close to 1000 ears of sweet corn. It has been extremely wet this year so far. Hope we don't have another dry summer. I can at least work on the deer problem. Not much you can do about the rain.

 

[firefighter9208]

I know what you mean about the rain. And the production of the corn.

Last year I had 3 acres of Yellow Field Corn in 60" rows. I got rain at the right time and it produced beautifully. I pulled 200 bushels (12,000 ears) and sold it on the farmers market for Rosen ears (to eat). I then went over the patch with my New Idea 323 corn picker and harvested what was left. I had enough left over to fatten two hogs for slaughter.

I took the hogs to the processor last week and came out with 520 pounds of meat. One dressed at 270 and the other at 250. :licking:

This year I'm planting 3 acres of white field corn (to eat/sell) and about 6 acres of yellow (feed). I'm also going to plant in 36" rows instead of 60" rows. I hope to get rain at the right time or all this money I've spent on a PTO sprayer, JD71 two row planter, diesel fuel, corn seed , fertilize, and chemicals is going to go down the drain.

I'm also going to plant about 3 acres of pumpkins again.

Chris

 

[Luremaker]

... 1/3 acre I could get close to 1000 ears of sweet corn. It has been extremely wet this year so far. Hope we don't have another dry summer. I can at least work on the deer problem. Not much you can do about the rain.

On 1/3 acre you could get 10,000 ears if you space your rows at 30 inches and plant a seed every 7 inches or so. In the past I always planted around 28,000 seeds per acre. This year I am going to try double rows.

Double rows are 2 rows of corn 14" apart spaced 35" apart. Should increase plant population to around 35,000 / acre. Just make sure your soil has enough nutrients for the higher population.

 

[sweettractors]

The last two times I planted corn, which are the only two times I've ever planted corn, I planted around the third week of April. Its going to be 84 degrees on Friday. Wondering if I should go ahead and plant early this year. I know some other folks around here who plant earlier than I have in the past.

I'm in central SC by the way.

We plant our 25 acres between April 1 and April 15 here in central Ky. Planting this early catches the spring rains and gets it off to a good start in case it turns dry in the summer. Got frost about 10 years ago and knocked about 2-3 inches off the top and still made as good a crop as we ever had. Ken Sweet

 

[Duffster]

It is supposed to rain here over the weekend otherwise I would fully expect to see the (field) corn planters rolling around here Monday morning.

 

[Chuck52]

I planted sweet corn two years in a row, but all that grew were coons.

Chuck

 

[firefighter9208]

We plant our 25 acres between April 1 and April 15 here in central Ky. Planting this early catches the spring rains and gets it off to a good start in case it turns dry in the summer. Got frost about 10 years ago and knocked about 2-3 inches off the top and still made as good a crop as we ever had. Ken Sweet

OK, that's what I thought. Plant some on Saturday and some in a couple weeks.

Thanks!!!
Chris