First Time Growing Corn & I Need Help

Hello! I am going to attempt to grow some corn this year because the white-kernel corn that I like is usually not available in my area. Not a field full. Not a hundred-foot row. Just a patch in the back yard (as much as I can manage to plow-up with my new little tiller).

Never having grown corn before, I would appreciate any pointers from those who have. We're talking about NO experience here, and I have basic questions (and I blush, because they are VERY basic), such as:

Do corn stalks have to be staked or supported?

Do corn stalks usually bear about two ears each? And, once the corn matures, is that it? (No regrowth?)

Is there a way to put something on the growing ears to prevent bugs from burrowing in?

I live in coastal Louisiana, so this might be another garden "experiment," but I think I might try "Silver Queen" (a white variety). If anyone has suggestions for a good white (or yellow) variety, please let me know.

Thanks for any information provided. -- Jean

Hi Jean, check out this http://www.lsuagcenter.com/Communications/pdfs_bak/pub2152sweetcorn.PDF it is from LSU and has all the info you need on growing corn in your (our) area.

Corn doesn't need to be stalked, if we have strong winds and the corn falls, it will rise up over a period of days (like the sugar cane does)

The rate of corn produced on the stalk just all depends on a number of things, how good it is pollinated is one.

If you plant your corn seed early say around next week, you will not need any kind of worm control. The corn worms like warm weather. Corn can take our late frosts, if we should have any, so it is safe to plant corn in late Feb.

Another note on growing corn small scale..this is very important.
TO have any luck at all, you can't make long rows, your rows need to be short and thick..in other words, you will have better luck having several 5 foot rows than 2 long rows. Corn needs to cross pollinate.

Good luck, be sure to check out LSU's website, they tell you what varieties you will need to grow here.

sorry for bad spelling..lol



This message was edited Feb 13, 2004 9:49 AM

Lisa gave good advice, and the site will give you all the particulars about the actual growing of the corn.

Silver Queen is one of the best whites in my opinion. A good choice.

A good way to prevent the worms in your corn if it gets very warm is to slip the cut off leg of a nylon stocking over the ear. This keeps them from getting in and you won't have to use chemicals to kill them.

I've grown corn for probably 60 years and the above is all good advice. Of course i live in a different climate. My oldest son lives in Baton Rouge but his garden area is mostly tropicals and flowers. Good Luck. There isn't to my notion anything better that an ear of corn just picked and I do mean just picked, and steamed or even microwaved. Donna

You have a very small window of optimum maturity in corn. Being that you are only growing a small patch, that shouldn't be an issue, but it won't 'keep' on the stalk. When it's at the stage that you like...you have to pick it then.

We have 'corn day' when ours is ready. Someone starts picking at daybreak and others start preparing it for freezing.By midnight ...if you're lucky,corn will be done.

Thank you all for the excellent advice!

Good link, Lisa. I downloaded the .pdf file. Sounds like you've grown corn in our area, so it must be "do-able." Yes, I planned on short rows because I had read about the cross-pollination, but how far apart did you space the seeds?

Rutholive, if you have been growing corn for that long, then it must be worth it. Thank you for the encouragement.

Melody, I like that stocking idea. You mentioned preparing the corn for freezing. How does one do that?

Any other tips?

Look at me. Asking about freezing my 'future' produce and it hasn't even been planted yet. And me, with my Black Thumb! Oh well, doesn't hurt to be optimistic, and I'm excited about starting a real vegetable garden this year.

I also will plant some pole (green) beans, cucumbers, some sugar-snap peas (when I find out which ones are stringless), bell peppers, herbs, and, of course, tomatoes.

The tomatoes I grew two years ago were surprisingly (to me) tasty. I love fruits and vegetables, but so much of the grocery-store produce is fairly tasteless.

Each spring, I get "garden fever" and buy seeds as if I had a hundred acres! This year, planning on planting a vegetable garden is a special affirmation for me. It lets me know that I plan to survive the angiogram that is scheduled this coming Wednesday. Never ever had any invasive tests like this. I wish I could bring my "kids" with me :)) (Minew, Emily, and Cinnamon).

http://members.aol.com/Jyex2/garden_house_old_garden.htm

Corrected the URL.

This message was edited Feb 26, 2004 4:11 AM

This message was edited Feb 26, 2004 4:12 AM

We cut most of our corn off the cob and freeze it.

What we do is clean the ears of silk and cut blemishes off, then cut it off into large pans. Put it on the stove with just a touch of water (to keep it from sticking) and gradually bring it to a boil. This will 'blanch' it. The process stops the ripening enzymes from continuing to mature. Place in the flattest pans you have so it will cool quickly. It has to be completely cool to bag up and freeze. If you freeze it warm, it will develop an 'off ' taste. I set pans on my AC vents and banish all four foots from the house till cool. When completely cool,place in freezer bags, mash out all excess air and freeze. That's all there is to it.

I blanch all of my veggies before freezing. you can tell when they are 'done' when the color changes to a brighter form.

keep in mind that corn can lose up to 50% of its nutrients within one hour of picking so make sure you are ready to cook it immediately upon harvest.

How true! It tastes better too.

The sugars start turning to starch as soon as corn is picked. That is why corn tastes so pastey that you get 'fresh' in the supermarket.

My mom would put her corn water on to boil and_then_go to the garden to get our corn on the cob for supper.

Yummy! Corn! Often-times we eat corn straight off the stalk, standing in the garden!

By the way, the new SE and SH gene corns (hybrids) will retain their sugar much longer than standard corn types. The years when I sold Kandy Korn at the market I nearly had to beat folks off liky they's flies or something! They'd be lined up waiting for me when I got there and then they'd POUNCE!

Kandy Korn is a yellow corn, LSweetPea, but it's counterpart is, is, is,...can't remember right now. (Edited cuz I thought it was "Bodacious", it isn't. Bodacious is another yellow super sweet.)

This message was edited Feb 15, 2004 12:02 PM

Shoe ; You are thinking of Argent, the white counterpart to Bodacious. There is a white Kandy Korn, some times referred to as Kotton Kandy. Silver King seems to be best for me. These are all sugar enhanced (Se). Most popular white supersweet is "How Sweet it is" . Just doesn't taste right to me.

Farmerdill, yep! That sounds familiar. Argent.

The only super sweet I've cared for is Kandy Korn. I've tried a few others.

Many folks around here grow Silver Queen and think the super sweets are TOO sweet for them. I haven't tried Silver King. Maybe I should give it a go this year.

Hi veggie growers, I agree Silver queen is a great white and Candy Corn is my favorite sweet. Nothing like fresh, boiled corn on cob for a summer get together!
We like it cut off and scape the cob for that milky taste. Try cutting it small not whole kernel. You will love it.
Teresa

Just to reemphasize Kandu Korn is not a supersweet (SH2) It is a member of the EH series camparable to the Se (sugar enhanced. It can be grown like a regular sweet corn. The supersweets have to be isolated. Any cross pollination and they become rubbery in texture, Silver Queen is an Su (normal sugar) but I find it as sweet as the Se's. Doesn't hold as long as the sugar starts to turn to starch as soon as you pick it. I think the reason supermarkets tend to go to the supersweets is that they will hold their sugar content for days. Se's for a couple of hours. These windows are important when the produce is far removed from the field in both time and distance.

Any suggestions on keeping
squirrls from getting more
corn than you do?

a gun. And you have to get up early!

There's not much I know to convince a squirrel that the corn belongs to you! I even quit growing corn for a few years cuz the squirrels were getting most of it. No fair.

Some people feel tabasco sauce or hot pepper may work but what I've seen is that the squirrels will claw the husks off to get to the corn and thereby bypassing any hot stuff.

Really not much I can recommend short of totally fencing the corn in, top to bottom ($$).

(Got your email, deller. Maybe your brother will enjoy getting in a bit of target practice in the corn patch this year.)

Oops! I fogot about the squirrels. I have enough trouble keeping the birds from eating all the fruit off the trees and bushes. My neighbors must think I look like Tippy Hedron when she gets trapped in the attic room with all those birds zipping around :)) There are hordes of squirrels around here too.

I guess all those times I set dried corncobs out for them to eat because I thought the little bushy-tailed rats were cute was a BIG mistake.

Farmerdill, I wanted to thank you for your contributions to the Plant Database (I searched for Sweet Corn), and also thank you and EVERYONE for the great advice.

I am going to plant a patch of Silver Queen, a section of Kandy Corn, and a patch of Merit (this last one is recommended for my area and looks like a nice cultivar to try).

If you have plenty of room, good for you!

If you don't have much garden space, don't bother, it's cheaper at the the garden stands and much less work.

I won't grow it because I am limited on space and know it can be difficult to grow.

I chose tomatoes, cucumbers and FLOWERS as an alternative and that made me happy. I can can pickles & salsa and have a beautiful yard and make my neighbors happy that they have to live next door to me.

Hi, Karrie
Can you post or email me your salsa recipe. I need one! I love sharing veggies too. I also give to my neighbors and take them to church.
Teresa in KY

yes, if you promise not to tell, I think it is on my old website, that I can't get RID of, and am EMBARRASSED of.

http://member.tripod.com/Karrie_Impatient.com

It should be in there in the recipes otherwise, email me via. through here, and I will give it to you. That is an OLD url and I have tried through tripod to get rid of it but can't so it still exists.

oops

http://members.tripod.com/Karrie_Impatient13/index.htm

this our little secret, ha ha (I am in trouble now, they will see me with a beer in my hand)

It's okay Karrie.... we promise not to go and look :))
What do you use the salsa on?

For most of my adult life, I lived in an apartment with a communal "back yard" which ran the length of the apartments, but was only about nine feet deep. I was the only one there with a garden (limited as it was), and the landlady chose to b*tch about that (too bad she didn't pay more attention to the stereo noise and drug use of some of the other tenants).

http://members.aol.com/JYEX2/garden_house_old_garden.htm

Now that I have a house, I'm planting "experimental" stuff. I know I'm not going to provide my family with unlimited eats, but I just want to see if I CAN get this stuff to grow.

As to my neighbors.... the gentleman whose yard backs mine mows his grass continually (even in the rain). It's like his labor of love. His wife planted one stinking rose bush in the yard. that's it. I know I'm gonna drive him nuts, but too bad. I've finally reached the point in my life (whopee!) that my attitude is now, "This is MY house and MY yard and keep your nose in your own yard."

IF I get even one ear of corn, I will be amazed, but I will certainly post a picture and let the seasoned gardeners, who have grown fields of the stuff, laugh at my puny crop. But I'll be happy :))

I am SO glad I found this place a few years ago. I can't think of any place else where one can find so much valuable information from folks who have actually "been there" and also have a lot of laughs with them along the way. -- Jean

Jean, you'd be surprised how much corn you can grow in a small space. In an area roughly 12 X 8 you could easily end up with 60 ears of corn and quite possibly more. 60 ears...yikes~! That's 5 dozen! There's a good chance you could end up with 12 dozen on a good year.

And what do you end up with? Fresh-picked home-grown corn with real corn flavor that still has the sugar content in it, and not starchy. You also reap the benefit of feeling and seeing success right before your very eyes! You get to use your home grown food in various recipes, knowing where it came from, knowing that it isn't full of harmful chemicals. Plus you get to brag! :>)

In other words, you need not worry about "seasoned gardners" or anyone else laffing at your puny crop. Your crop will be wonderful! You'll see! You'll see! ô¿ô

Thanks 'Shoe. It still amazes me, old as I am, when I see a little bud or sprout and get to watch it grow through all the stages. And when I was able to harvest some tomatoes, I almost "busted the buttons" on my shirt, knowing that I slayed the tomatoes and brought them to the table :))

I always thought corn stalks had five or six ears per stalk (obviously, I wasn't looking too closely at the pictures). It appears as if corn stalks produce one or two ears per stalk. Is that right? And then it's over for that stalk?

I have a back yard that is about 60 feet by 60 feet, and a brand new tiller. Watch out!

L.Sweet Pea
Two is the norm on corn.

bluegrass, that's good to know. Thanks. But if I get just ONE ear per stalk, I'll still be thrilled :))

Karrie, I went to your sight and found some great recipes but I never saw the one for salsa.
Teresa

L. Sweet Pea you will love having your own place to grow things it is a blessing! I was raised on a farm and I just love growing things. It doesn't matter it can be a veggie, a vine or a beautiful daylily. I have fun with it all.