Top 10 Tips for Growing Sweet Corn

Top 10 Tips for Growing Sweet Corn..

Choose an open sunny position for planting, but is protected from wind. If wind does become a problem, stake them and use a ties to keep them upright.

Corn requires a moderately heavy feeding, so build the soil up with lots of good organic matter and manure before planting. I also toss a handful of blood and bone and rake through.

Corn requires moderate watering. Never let the soil dry out completely but needs to be in well drained soil. The trick to getting those cobs really juicy is all down to your success with the soil moisture level. Many gardeners choose to water using drip-line irrigation to ensure the moisture level is adequate. This is absolutely number one in getting great corn as they are shallow rooted!

Plant your crop in a location that has previously grown high nitrogen plants such as beans, peas, cauliflower, cabbage or broccoli. Where ever you would plant cucumbers, melons or pumpkins is the same type of soil that corn would love.

Give your corn crop an application of seaweed solution every couple of weeks.

Pinch off the side stalks near the base to channel more growing energy into the main stalk. The side stalks may grow back after a time, but removing these side stalks will make a big difference to your crop's yield.

Make use of the tall corn stalk by co-planting bean seeds around the base of each corn stalk once corn is more than 5 inches tall. By the time you have harvested your corn cobs, the beans will be well on their way to using the height of the stalk to climb and produce their crop next.

Pollination is done by wind, so mild conditions are ideal. For this reason, multiple planting is needed to ensure a good cross pollination.

If your crop fails to produce good ears of corn, it may be due to extreme weather conditions: too hot, too cold, too wet can all affect pollination.

Harvest only when the silks turn brown. To be doubly sure, you may also pierce the top kernels which will exude a milky or clear liquid which will indicate that they are ready for harvesting..