This is a little tidbid I read out of The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible: “Corn has the highest sugar content early in the morning. So pick it then, before it’s warmed by the sun, and refrigerate it in the husk until dinnertime. You’ll get the best tasting corn with the morning harvest.” I wish I had read that before I harvested my corn in July. Mine was sweet and really fun to just pull a couple of ears off for dinner, but it could have been better, and there could have been a whole lot more, if I knew then what I know now. It was my first year for corn and it seems every time I plant something I planted before, I learn more and get better, so next year my corn will be better.I know to plant it March 15th through April 1st, and again August 1st through September 1st. It does well directly seeded into it’s place in the garden, or by transplants, if you stumble across a good variety ready to plant. That makes it pretty easy, doesn’t it?
I know now to grow corn in a spot where beans were grown previously. Something to do with nitrogen fixing. That also means that beans are a good companion plant for corn, as are beets, cantaloupe, and squash. Also am beginning to understand that corn is a heavy feeder, so it likes fish emulsion every 2 weeks. Remember reading that the Indians put a fish in with a corn seed when they planted it? Smart cookies. Those old Organic Gardening magazines I saved taught me to plant corn in squares, (3X3, or 4X4, etc), not rows, so no matter which way the wind blows, they all get pollinated. Every one of those little silks in the tassels needs to be pollinated. Also learned when I pulled them up after harvest, that although it is tall, their roots are not very deep, so like other plants with shallow roots, they are sensitive to fluctuations in soil moisture. They want consistent and regular watering.
All in all, corn is very satisfying to plant…it grows very fast and is easy to care for. This is the sweet corn I planted from starts. It has squash growing up its legs to the right. Next year my corn will be better. And I’ll grow more than 9 plants. 