Sweet corn is especially popular with home gardeners

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Sweet Corn

This favorite is a warm season vegetable that can be grown easily and in practically in all parts of the United States. It needs a fertile, well drained, moist soil and with these requirements met, the type of soil does not seem to be especially important, but a clay loam is almost ideal for sweet corn. This crop however does require a fairly large plot to grow successfully because it is a cross pollinating vegetable. Successive plantings can yield continuous harvest from early summer until frost if the weather cooperates.

There are three distinct types according to genetic background:

• normal sugary (SU).

• sugary enhanced (SE).

• supersweet (Sh2).

The SU’s are best suited to be picked, husked and eaten within a very short time.. The old saying was “start the water boiling, run to the corn patch, pick an ear, husk it, run back to the pot, cook it and eat it immediately”, however this adage is no longer necessarily true. The new SE hybrids contain sugary enhancers which significantly raise the sugar content above the standard values and still retain the tenderness and creamy texture of standard varieties. The SE’s are the gourmet choice for home gardener because they contain the best qualities of all types.

When picking seeds for your garden; keep in mind that most varieties these days are hybrids seeds from the previous crop and should never be saved for planting, as they will never be true to the form of the plant from which it was harvested.

Place two or three kernels about 1 inch deep in the soil and space 12 inch centers to form a block at least four rows wide. Be cautious of planting different varieties of hybrid corn in the same proximity, as cross pollination will affect your corn crop Cross pollination may cause starchy tough kernals. When the plants are about 18 in. tall, side dress with a nitrogen fertilizer because the plants are heavy feeders, and are basically a grass. Lack of sufficient water well seriously reduce quality and yield. Cultivate shallowly to control weeds.

Sweet corn does have its enemies, with animals leading the list; especially raccoons. BT and other organic pesticides will keep most insects in check. Buy disease resistant varieties of plants, but always be on the lookout for “smut” which is a dark gray fungus. If you find some, remove and destroy it by burning or putting in the garbage, before the mass breaks open and spreads.

To view a chart which outline optimum planting temperatures and the number of days for your seeds to germinate, click here.

To view a map showing the gardening zones of North America, click here.
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