How To Grow Corn At Home

- Corn does not survive frost or extreme cold, so you’ll need to wait until the ground is warm enough before you plant your seeds. Ideal temperature for growing is 30-35 degrees Celsius.

- Sweet corn likes soil rich in nitrogen, so plant your corn in an area previously used for growing beans if you can (bean plants enrich the soil with nitrogen). You can also add a nitrogen based fertilizer to the soil if you need to.

- The PH level of the soil should be around 6-6.5 (a little acidic is ideal), and the planting area needs to have good drainage.

- To give your corn seeds a greater chance of turning into healthy, strong plants you may choose to pre-sprout them before planting. Do this by soaking the seeds in water overnight then placing them in an open small plastic bag or small covered plastic tray. Rinse them daily to keep them moist and they should sprout in about 4 or 5 days and be ready for planting.

- Depth of planting depends on soil temperature and moisture levels. Cool, moist soil has an ideal planting depth of about 2cm, but hot, dry soil requires around 10cm. Seeds should be planted about 30cm apart.

- To increase pollination of the corn, plant seeds in 4 rows of 10 plants each with about 50cm between each row. This ensures that each kernel is pollinated by pollen blown to the ears of the corn from the flowers.

- Planting in blocks also gives the corn plants some wind and rain protection, but do not mix varieties of corn within a single block (this will result in cross pollination).

According to USDA, corn is the fifth most popular vegetable to be grown in a home garden. Here are some tips you can use to encourage success with your corn harvest:

- Start with a good foundation.
In this case, your foundation is the site and soil where you will grow your corn. Prepare the site well before the first kernels go in the ground by working in plenty of compost and/or manure into the soil with a pitchfork.

- Get an early start.
Put down a 1 inch layer of finished compost at the first sight of spring, as soon as the danger of a frost has passed. This will supply all the nutrients the young corn kernals will need to germinate and thrive in your garden.

- Keep an eye on the temperature.
Approximately a week before planting, put black or IRT plastic down over the soil to heat it and elimate most of the weed seeds. Take accurate readings of the soil temp, as you will want it to be around 70 degrees F.

- Once the soil is ready, remove the plastic and plant the kernels approx. 1 in. deep and no further than 8 in. apart. To increase pollination, plant them in blocks of 4 and sow new blocks every 10-20 days and you’ll get corn throughout the season.

Corn is great vegetable to grow in your home vegetable garden, and with so many varieties available you are sure to find something out there for you!