Latest / The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners / Episode 24 — Corn - Tall, Sweet, and Traditional

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Episode 24 — Corn - Tall, Sweet, and Traditional · The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners

• 0:28
  Welcome back to the Beanstalk, fellow beans.
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  My name is John, your neighborhood garden buddy, and
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  today we're diving into one of the most iconic, beloved, and
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  downright majestic crops you can grow corn, whether you call it
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  corn or maize. Whether you grow it for sweet
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  harvests, pops of popcorn, or beautiful ornamental color, corn
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  brings a timeless tradition to the garden.
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  And in today's episode, we're going to walk through every step
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  of growing it successfully, from soil prep to pollination tricks
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  to harvesting at the perfect moment.
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  So grab a shovel, grab a cup of something refreshing, and let's
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  get growing. Why do we want to grow corn?
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  Corn has been grown for over 9000 years, beginning with the
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  indigenous peoples of the Americas who selectively bred it
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  from a much smaller wild grass called Teosinti.
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  Today it's one of the world's most important crops.
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  But for the home gardener, corn offers something deeper than
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  calories. Here are some reasons to grow
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  corn. It's incredibly rewarding.
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  A successful patch of corn feels like growing your own tiny
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  field. Fresh, sweet corn is unbeatable.
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  Garden grown kernels often contain twice the natural sugars
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  of store bought ears. It's versatile.
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  Sweet corn, popcorn flour, corn, dent corn, ornamental varieties,
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  they're all unique and it attracts beneficial insects.
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  Tassels bring in bees, hoverflies, parasitic Wasps and
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  pollinators. Corn isn't just a plant, it's an
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  experience. Let's look at how to grow corn,
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  preparing the soil where you intend to plant it.
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  Corn is a heavy feeder, one of the heaviest feeders you can
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  grow. Like most plants, corn wants
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  ideal soil that is well drained, rich in compost, high in
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  nitrogen, and a slightly acidic to neutral PH-6 point O ish to
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  6.8. Corn's roots grow shallow but
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  wide. If your soil is compacted,
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  loosen it from a depth of around 12 to 18 inches deep, then blend
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  in some compost and a quality organic fertilizer.
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  If your soil is clay heavy, you could loosen it up with things
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  like leaf mold, compost, pine fines or agricultural scent.
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  If your soil is sandy, you can increase moisture attention with
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  surprise surprise compost, coconut coir or peat Moss and
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  well aged manure. Let's talk about planting and
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  growing corn. Corn must be planted in blocks,
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  not rows, to ensure proper pollination.
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  As far as spacing goes, you'll want to plant in rows 8 to 12
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  inches apart with a distance between plants of roughly 8
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  inches, and the smallest block size you would want to use would
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  be a minimum of a four foot by 4 foot layout for the best
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  possible smaller scale results. When to plant your corn?
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  Direct SO or transplant outdoors once soil temps reach 60 to
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  65°F. Now let's discuss some
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  varieties. Corn has a huge variety
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  spectrum. Some great home garden types
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  would be sweet corns. These ones are best for fresh
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  eating. Some examples would be Honey
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  select or Peaches and cream. Popcorn types are best for
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  storage and fun. Some examples of these would be
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  strawberry popcorn or Cherokee Long Ear.
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  Now with dent corns. These are generally best for
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  things like masa or grits. An example of this would be
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  Hickory King and for Flint corn this is generally best for
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  storage and an example of that would be glass gem.
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  Don't plant super sweet types too close to standard types.
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  Cross pollination can reduce sweetness.
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  Let's take a quick look at watering your plants.
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  Corn needs consistent moisture, 1 to 1 1/2 inches weekly.
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  Increase to two inches or more during tasseling and ear
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  formation. Water at the base to avoid
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  washing pollen off of the tassels.
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  And now let's discuss fertilizing your corn.
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  Corn responds dramatically to nitrogen.
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  Feed your plants once at planting, again at 12 inches
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  tall, and once again when the tassels appear.
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  And here are some options to feed your plants with blood
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  meal, fish emulsion, compost tea, and of course, a balanced
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  organic granular fertilizer. Let's cover some pollination
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  tips. Corn is wind pollinated.
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  Pollen falls from the tassels onto the silks.
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  Here are some ways to boost success.
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  Plant your corn in blocks, give the stalks A gentle shake during
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  peak pollen hours, which is early morning, and keep plants
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  evenly watered during silk formation.
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  Now let's cover harvesting corn. Sweet corn.
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  You'll want to harvest it when silks turn brown and dry.
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  The kernels will squirt a Milky juice when you pop them.
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  The ear feels full, rounded and firm.
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  Sweet corn deteriorates quickly. Eat as soon as possible for best
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  flavor. Popcorn and dry corns.
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  Harvest them when the husks are fully brown and your kernels are
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  hard enough you cannot dent them with a fingernail.
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  Dry them indoors for three to four weeks.
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  And now for some companion planting tips.
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  Corn's height makes it a great partner plant.
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  Traditional companions are things like corn plus beans plus
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  squash, which is the three sisters.
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  The corn acts as the trellis and provides a little shade.
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  Beans fix nitrogen in the soil, improving it, and the squash
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  shades out the weeds and protects the soil.
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  Other good companions for your corn that are worth looking at
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  are things like marigolds, sunflowers, cucumbers and
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  melons. And you'll want to avoid things
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  like tomatoes and brassicas, which can compete for nutrients
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  and space. Let's take a glance at seed
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  saving. Corn is wind pollinated, so to
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  save seeds you must isolate varieties.
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  Distances you'll want to isolate is 250 to 300 feet minimum for
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  home gardens. Hand pollination is recommended
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  for purity and choose the healthiest, earliest, strongest
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  ears for seed and dry them completely before storage.
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  Let's talk about some common pests and problems with growing
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  corn. 1st is corn earworms. They chew on the tips of the
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  ears and they look kind of like a deluxe maggot.
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  Add a drop or two of mineral oil or BT to the silks as they begin
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  drying to keep them out of your ears.
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  And now corn borers. These are a larvae that tunnel
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  into the stalks, clean up debris at season's end and encourage
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  beneficial insects to help prevent them.
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  And now cut worms and army worms.
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  These damage young plants and leaves.
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  You can use seedling collars or BT if the infestation is severe.
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  Now there's raccoons and squirrels.
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  These guys are major corn thieves.
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  Basically the best fix is motion sprinklers and things like
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  deterrence or harvesting right when it's ready.
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  And lastly, birds. They can pull out seedlings and
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  Peck at your ears. The best fix is row covers for
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  your seedlings and reflective tape later on.
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  Also we have poor pollination. This shows as missing kernels.
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  Basically you just want to plant corn in blocks and shake the
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  tassels on calm mornings. And finally, nutrient issues.
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  If your plants are pale, they're having a nitrogen deficiency.
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  If they're kind of a purplish color, either the soil is cold
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  or there's an issue with phosphorus.
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  The best fixes here is compost and regular feeding.
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  Next up is the pros and cons of growing corn.
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  Beginning with the pros, corn has high yields.
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  It also has incredible flavor. Corn has dramatic and stunning
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  plants. It also comes in many different
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  colors and varieties, and it's fast growing in warm weather.
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  And now for the cons. The high yields come at a cost.
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  Corn is a very heavy feeder. It needs a good amount of space
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  for the best possible results. You must grow a decent amount of
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  plants to allow for proper pollination.
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  Corn is actually very vulnerable to wind damage, and deer,
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  raccoons, rodents, birds, and pretty much every other type of
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  pest loves it just as much as you do.
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  Now let's dive into the recipe. Mexican St.
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  Corn or elote. Beginning with the ingredients,
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  you'll want 4 fresh ears of corn, 1/4 cup of Mayo, 1/4 cup
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  of sour cream, 1/2 a cup of cotija cheese crumbled, one to
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  two teaspoon of chili powder, 1 lime, salt and pepper to taste,
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  and some fresh cilantro. And now the cooking
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  instructions. Grill your corn until it's
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  lightly charred. Mix the Mayo, sour cream, lime
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  juice, and chili powder. Brush the sauce generously all
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  over the hot corn. Sprinkle some katiha cheese,
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  cilantro, and a little extra chili powder as well.
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  Devour it immediately. It's messy, it's glorious, it's
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  summer fun. Facts about Corn Corn is grown
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  on every continent except Antarctica.
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  Each silk on an ear of corn connects to 1 kernel.
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  The average ear has 600 kernels ranged in rows, always divisible
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  by two. Popcorn pops because its whole
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  traps steam until it explodes. Corn comes in every color, red,
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  blue, purple, black, pink, white, and even multicolor.
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  And some heirloom corns glow under UV light due to
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  anthocyanins. And now for the garden nerd
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  corner corn is technically a giant grass closely related to
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  bamboo. The sugars in sweet corn convert
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  to starch within hours, which is why garden corn tastes so much
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  better than store corn. Corn roots from shallow brace
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  roots, but research shows these roots continue anchoring the
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  plant even after soil exposure. Hybrid corn varieties often
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  outperform heirlooms because of heterosis, which is hybrid
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  vigor. Thanks again for hanging out
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  with me today on the Beanstalk. If you want to keep the
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  conversation going, we've got a growing community over at the
• 16:03
  Beanstalk Garden Club on Facebook.
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  Come join us, share your garden photos, swap ideas, and let's
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  nerd out over plants together. If you're enjoying the podcast,
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  don't forget to hit follow on Spotify so you'll never miss an
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  episode. We'd also love to hear your
• 16:24
  feedback or questions for future episodes from our patch to
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  yours. Keep on climbing.