Growing Your Own Vegetables: An Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide by Carla Emery, Lorene Edwards Forkner Page B

corn was developed by European immigrants to the New World. Hybrid corn varieties were developed in the 1930s and became famous for their generous yield, early productivity, and ability to ripen a crop all at the same time. Although sweet corn is a good choice for commercial production, gardeners looking for an extended harvest season will need to plant several small crops of hybrid corn in succession or isolate individual plantings of early, mid-, and late-season varieties (see page 107). Home gardeners with limited growing space may want to plant an open-pollinated variety, as these tend to ripen over a period of time, giving the gardener a longer sweet corn season from a single sowing.
PLANTING: Corn requires a fertile soil and likes heat, needing at least 6 hours of full sunlight a day to thrive. Begin planting early varieties a week before your frost-free date, mid- and late-season ones 1 to 2 weeks after that date—or later. Corn will germinate better in a sandy soil that warms up quickly in the spring. Delay planting in heavy clay soils until they have warmed up to 60 to 70°F at a planting depth of 3 inches or risk losing the seed to rot. A soil thermometer will help you gauge the proper planting time. A classic heavy feeder, corn benefits from ample quantities of manure and any nitrogen-rich organic material; keep weeds down to eliminate competition for nourishment and water.
Unlike most grain, which can be sown by broadcasting, corn is planted in rows, blocks, or hills in a designated pattern and must be spaced to accommodate weeding as well as to maximize pollination; site along the north end of the garden to avoid shading other crops. Sow seed in rows 1 inch deep every 3 to 4 inches for early and midseason plantings; later plantings should be 1½ to 2 inches deep every 4 to 10 inches. For wide row plantings, space plants 10 inches apart in each direction in a bed 3 by 6 feet or 3 by 10 feet. Native Americans traditionally planted in hills or a water-collecting depression to make the best use of available water. Sow 5 or 6 seeds about 1½ inches deep in concentrations 2½ to 3 feet apart in every direction, thinning to 3 to 5 stalks per hill. Corn needs moisture to germinate and periodic irrigation or rainfall while it is actively growing, watering deeply to 4 inches.
Plants should break ground in 7 to 10 days, but note that on average, 1 out of 4 seeds won’t germinate. Replant or transplant thinnings where germination has failed rather than waste the space. In very short season areas, start corn indoors 4 weeks early and move transplants into the garden 1 or 2 weeks after your last frost date, being careful to keep roots intact and undisturbed. Transplanting can be hard on corn; you may find it sulks for a week or more before it resumes growing.
From planting time until the corn is up at least a few inches, fend off hungry birds with shiny flash tape. Crisscrossed strings may further discourage them, or you can put up a scarecrow and find lots of reasons to be in the garden. Well-nourished plants and planting rotations will stave off the worst pest and disease cycles; hand-pick corn borers and earworms.
With a harvest of only 2 or 3 ears per stalk, there is no doubt that corn is a space, soil, and nitrogen hog, but many consider its garden-fresh sweetness to be worth it. Rotate where you grow corn from year to year and follow with a green manure or legume to rebuild the depleted soil’s fertility.
EARLY, MID-, AND LATE-SEASON CORN VARIETIES
Early corn is 53 to 68 days to maturity and can be planted when the soil temperature is around 55 to 70°F, making it a good choice where the warm season is short. And because growing slows down in the shorter days of late summer, an early variety is also the best choice for your very latest planting. Early corn grows only 4 to 6 feet high and has smallish ears. It can be planted closer together than later corns; thin to 6 inches apart.
Midseason corn is 69 to 86 days to