Can I plant corn??

[Podunkadunk]

Doesn't it seem odd that corn was such a staple for early pioneers, american indians, etc. Yet, it seems so many people have trouble with it.

Kind of like how "One spark can start a forest fire", yet when I'm camping, it takes a box of matches and a can of diesel to start it!

Yeah and here's something else; farmers around here plant hundreds of acres of corn, return maybe twice to cultivate it. After that, the corn is on it's own for 3 months. Yet, a garden requires so much work!!! Is it the difference in the corn? I mean, field corn is one thing, sweet is another, but it seems corn is corn right?

Podunk

 

[ray66v]

I have seen people get corn in container gardens, 5x10 is big enough.

I suggest for a first time grower:
1. Test the soil, (with a home test kit at least).
2. Adjust the PH & fertilize accordingly, (not difficult).
3. Plant when the ground is no longer cold. (If the ground has not warmed enough, corn will not grow).
4. Plant a Midseason variety
5. Try to get fresh seed, (you don't want something that the hardware store has had on the shelf for years).
6. Follow the average 30" to 36" row spacing and 6" to 12" plant spacing guides.
(you can space seed closer and thin when they sprout, if you prefer).
7. Plant in a square, or rectangle. (4 or more rows, for polination)
8. Dust silks with Seven dust, when they appear, (no worms then).
9. Feel the tips of the ears as the silks start to turn brown, when they start to become rounded, rather than pointy, its about ready.
10. Enjoy

 

[sunspot]

Thanks to all for the tips. I want to put in some corn this year. I hope we get rain in the south this year.

Podunkadunk
That is Paul Kim, chief engineer of Surfire in your avatar. Real nice guy and smart.

 

[N80]

Very interesting stuff. Thanks for all the info. Here is another question, will the deer eat the young sprouts? They eat everything else so I assume the answer is yes.

Since it is going to be up near the cabin I may get an electric fence controller ($35) and put poly wire around it.

Of course, as others have mentioned, if we have another dry spring/summer like we did last year it will all be for nothing.

Although, I will say this, I spent a fair amount of money on my little food plots last year and for most of the summer got almost nothing due to the drought. So they looked bad and were useless for attracting game during the season. However, as we got more rain this winter, and some warm days the plots greened up a but. They still look pitiful but man the deer have been in them constantly because there is nothing else green to eat. So I don't feel like it was a total waste of money.

 

[MDM]

I plant 6 - 60' rows every year. I put 4 seeds per hole and space the holes about 16" apart and the rows about 3 ft apart. I picked somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 dozen ears last year. My freezer is full of cut corn and I was able to fill freezers of 3 other families. Silver Queen is my favorite.

 

[ray66v]

Will the deer eat the young sprouts?

I only get Deer in my yard once or twice a year, and they have so far, only ate a few seed, right after planting.
Raccoons are the ones, I'm told that, will really make you unhappy. (I don't have any).

 

[Podunkadunk]

Thanks to all for the tips. I want to put in some corn this year. I hope we get rain in the south this year.

Podunkadunk
That is Paul Kim, chief engineer of Surfire in your avatar. Real nice guy and smart.

Yeah, it's Paul Kim. I got the pic from an AR forum I frequent and put it up (it had been photoshopped with extra junk on the weapon of course) after the surefire flashlight thread recently . Their flashlights are without a doubt the best (tactical weapon lights) in my opinion. Anyhow, don't want to hijack the thread...back to topic...

Podunk

 

[DUMBDOG]

Very interesting stuff. Thanks for all the info. Here is another question, will the deer eat the young sprouts? They eat everything else so I assume the answer is yes.

Since it is going to be up near the cabin I may get an electric fence controller ($35) and put poly wire around it.

Of course, as others have mentioned, if we have another dry spring/summer like we did last year it will all be for nothing.

Although, I will say this, I spent a fair amount of money on my little food plots last year and for most of the summer got almost nothing due to the drought. So they looked bad and were useless for attracting game during the season. However, as we got more rain this winter, and some warm days the plots greened up a but. They still look pitiful but man the deer have been in them constantly because there is nothing else green to eat. So I don't feel like it was a total waste of money.

Deer will eat the young plants, the medium size plants and best of all they like the mature plants and they will walk down the row and take a bite out of each cob.

If you are going to fence it to keep the deer out, eight feet high should do it. Also make it low enough to the ground so that they cannot crawl under it. If it is for the raccoons, forget it, it seems like nothing will keep them out if there is fresh matured corn around. This is also a good method to see if you have any raccoons.

 

[WayneB]

I wanted to do corn, but ultimately decided I didn't have the space or knowledge. I'm going to do about a 5x10' area just for the **** of it, and realize I'll likely not get corn.

Doesn't it seem odd that corn was such a staple for early pioneers, american indians, etc. Yet, it seems so many people have trouble with it.

I believe you could make a go of it with as little space as a 5' x 10" keep in mind it won't provide you with a whole bunch of corn, but properly taken care of it will yield two ears per stock.

Keep the corn cultivated and remove the weeds. Once the corn is about knee high you will want to hill it up against the stocks. This will keep the moisture in and around the roots. Spacing can be tighter than 1' apart, as long as you can get in to weed and water. Width of the rows would have to permit walking between.

In that small of a space you will want to plant a single variety of corn. I would suggest something like Honey & Cream, kandy korn hybrid or something like golden Bantam which is an old variety corn and really sweet.

 

[dooleysm]

My first year out of college I lived with a buddy in town. I put out a garden in his back yard, maybe 12x20. I had about 5 rows of corn, maybe 8-10' long each. I didn't do anything more than plant it in a row, thin it to about 1 stalk per foot, and let it go. I had 2 different varieties I think. It did great and I had plenty of corn for me and my buddy. The only thing we had problems with was squirrels, but they didn't eat more than a few ears.

Maybe I got lucky, but I don't think it's any great trick to grow corn.