Planting Sweet Corn - Question

[Amos1]

All things considered, would it be better to plant corn in rows running North-to-South or East-to-West? Or does it make any difference? I have a nice flat feild with lots of space, so I can choose either way...

Also, what is the best (in your opinion) width of the rows? I'm not too worried about yeild per space used since, as I said above, I have plenty room.

One other thing: Would using a tiller to cultivate be better than a 3-point cultivator? I have a tiller, but not a cultivator...

Thanks!

 

[leonz]

Its better to plant east to west if you
have no shade and use eight inch wide
raised beds and to crowd out the weeds
sooner.

I built the raised beds with the bed building
wings of the cultivator and used a hoe to level
the beds nicely and then used the hoe to tamp
the soil after I planted the seeds.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

Seems a little strange to see a post like this at this time of yr but its good to have the info you need ahead of time.

LOTS of sweet corn grown in this area commercially. In all the yrs I've lived here, I've never heard of compass heading being of any importance.

Row spacing is all going to depend upon with what you are going to cultivate with. Width of cultivating implement plus 18-24 inches would be the way to go if you have the space and how far along the corn is. I typ plant 3' or 4' apart depending upon how I'm going to cultivate. What I can use depends upon if we're talking say knee high and is different than if I need to culitvate when the crop is 4-6 ft high.

You've not said how big a plot you will be planting or the size of your cultivating implements. I've grown sweet corn in a family sized garden and have always used a tiller. Depending upon weed growth, you may need to cultivate after the corn has some growth to it and that may dictate the kind and size of the equipment.

 

[Bird]

I've never heard of compass heading being of any importance.

Me, neither. Just never thought about it. I planted mine north to south simply because I had two water hydrants about 50' apart on the south side of the garden so I planted all my garden north to south and left steel stakes in the ground at the south end of the rows so I could pull a garden hose down the rows and the steel stakes prevented dragging the hose across any crops.

 

[kubotakid USA]

Its best to plant east to west so the sun dosent shine between the rows, that helps keeping the weeds from thriving, once the rows are shaded out weeds dont grow as much. Eric

 

[BrianR]

I plant mine east to west just because the winds out here are so nasty in June/July during thunderstorms. Seems that the wind will flow easier down the rows than against the rows.
Of course I like to plant my sweet corn with a 6 inch spacing and fertilize with lots of liquid nitrogen.....so the outside rows really catch a lot of wind.

I planted North to South for a few years and the winds really blew down the first 4 rows of corn.

 

[Qapla]

There is a lot of sweet corn grown in Florida. I have not seen any real preference for compass direction.

One thing to keep in mind with corn is that it is better to plant the plot (especially a smaller one) in a "squared off" dimension instead of long rows. This is because corn is "wind pollinated" and the more the wind can blow the pollen into the patch, the greater the yield.

 

[Amos1]

Seems a little strange to see a post like this at this time of yr but its good to have the info you need ahead of time.
LOTS of sweet corn grown in this area commercially. In all the yrs I've lived here, I've never heard of compass heading being of any importance.

Row spacing is all going to depend upon with what you are going to cultivate with. Width of cultivating implement plus 18-24 inches would be the way to go if you have the space and how far along the corn is. I typ plant 3' or 4' apart depending upon how I'm going to cultivate. What I can use depends upon if we're talking say knee high and is different than if I need to culitvate when the crop is 4-6 ft high.

You've not said how big a plot you will be planting or the size of your cultivating implements. I've grown sweet corn in a family sized garden and have always used a tiller. Depending upon weed growth, you may need to cultivate after the corn has some growth to it and that may dictate the kind and size of the equipment.

Yea, I know it's way early for thinking about planting corn in Illinois, but I just got my new, used plow and am on the lookout for a 1-row planter, so I'm like a kid dreaming about the school picnic on the first day of school :laughing:

BTW - my new neighbor just moved here from Hawaii, and he's a guru for Monsanto. He ran a corn-experimenting project over there. He told me Hawaii is the only US State where you could plant corn in 1 field and harvest it in an adjacent feild - ON The Same Day Their growing season is year around!

Plot/s: I'm figuring on two or three, will plow one this fall and let it sit till spring and then disk it and plant. The other two will be used for rotating the corn - plant a different plot every three years and grow some type of cover-crop in the fallow ones. I'm thinking 50' x 50' and maybe make 3 different plantings to stagger the harvest.

I'll be planting Bodacious Sweet Corn - anybody happen to know which JD Type-B plate to use?

Cultivation: Currenty, I do not have a cultivator, but can have one custom-made for a reasonable price... I'll be watching the local Craig's List for a cheap one this winter. I have a 5-hp Simplicity Tiller that cuts 16" wide. That thing is bullet-proof (starts on 2nd or 3rd pull even after sitting all winter) I'll most likely be buying a 1-row JD 71-Flex planter so I can adjust my row widths easily for different type crops.

Thanks for all the replys and help... I appreciate every one! :thumbsup:

 

[grsthegreat]

Im getting a new area ready for corn next season., But here in Idaho its a 50:50 crapshoot as to whether it will grow 3' or 7' tall. Im planning on a E-W facing to allow MORE sunshine to get to the plants. well see.