Depends on variety. I plant small ears, small stalks. I always plant three per hole, but you might be better off using 5 gallon. And fertilize.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

I am trying corn in a self watering 5 gal. pot that I made myself using a 5 gal. bucket. I planted 5 seed in each bucket and now they are about 2 feet tall and look as healthy as any corn I have seen in the last 70 years. Ill try to keep you posted on its progress.

Dan.

Just curious, is the corn being grown as an ornamental or is food the intended outcome? Al

HI AL.
I am trying corn in a bucket as well as beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, bell pepper, just to work with the buckets that I made into self watering buckets, but I will eat all that I can get off these plants.

DAN

This is going to be part of my edible garden. Like Dan, I intend to eat all I can harvest. I plan to grow the corn and plant pole beans around them which will climb up the corn.

I did not plant beans with my corn as I planted 5 corns in each bucket and already had 8 self waterings buckets with 3 bean plants in each one. The beans are already running up the strings and are about 4 feet up the strings. I'm looking forward to seeing them put on little beans, as then it will only be a few days till bean eating time.

DAN

The plants may look great at 2 ft but it would be amazing to me if 5 corn plants mature in a 5 gal bucket. I may be wrong but I think that their roots grow thick and outward before going down. Please let me know if you actually get ears that are worth eating because if you are I will be doing corn buckets next yr.

In my limited experience corn needs a 6"x6"x6" to 8"x8"x8" root space to satisfy it's genetic requirement. After that it is luxury space and if enough water and nutrients are supplied no more than this is required for full ear production.

For container growing the closer one is to the bare minimum, the more attention needs to be paid to water and nutrients. Don't forget that your edible corn and your lawn are related, they both need high amounts of nitrogen.

As far as container size please remember that surface area of the container is just one factor. Using standard nursery pot dimensions a 12" container holds almost twice as much growing area as a 10" container and a 20" container is double that of a 16" container. In other words consider the dimensions of the pot over it's listed size.

Well I said I would keep you poster on the corn in my 5 gal buckets, well they are still growing as normal, they all are putting out tassels and some are showing the signs of forming two ears on most of the stalks. I will let you know how they finely turn out and also the taste.

DAN

Very cool. Thanks, Dan!

This season I will be trying some Silver Queen corn in an earthbox. I will be happy to get 3 or 4 good ears from them. According to EB I need 16 plants per box for good pollenation. I will keep everyone posted on the progress.

well here is the latest on my corn in a bucket, I had a little bad luck as a hard wind blew over my buckets and damaged one stalk in each so now all I have now is 4 to the pot but they all are putting on 1 nice ear and showing more trying to form on some of the stalks. Ill still keep you posted on the progress. My pole beans are loaded with little beans so soon its picking time. My cucumbers are loaded with little ones and in about 2 or 3 days I will pick 3 or 4 for eating. My toms. are loaded and still blooming and putting on little ones. OH yes thin AM I saw the first blooms on the watermelons, looked promising.

Ill report again later DAN

How about some photos, folks?

I planted Gurney's gotta-have-it sweet corn on April 6, on 4" centers. Started second 'Tainer on April 29 (to the left). I may have to thin out, so that is why I would like to see photos of spacing you are using with success. Don't want to throw any stalks away, but am growing concerned they are too tight.. What do you think?

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Raybo

From what the lady at my local nursery suggested, those aren't looking too tight at all. As long as you keep them well watered and fed. To elaborate, I was going through checkout with a seedling pot full of sweet corn spaced about six inches apart. She said to just plant them as they were and not to try and separate or thin them out and that they'll pollenate best this way.

Thanks darth,

You can't see it in the photo, but these 'Tainers are using the AWS automated watering device from the EarthBox Company. The corn seems to be loving it!!

Raybo

Here is a better photo of the AWS.

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Raybo

Well this is the last of my corn, I picked the last of it today and got 1 ear from each stalk, I think that was good from a bucket. Also brought in 6 nice cucumbers from my 3 buckets, and the wife picked enough pole beans for us to have 3 nice meals of one of my favorite vegs. I will be planting a different kind of corn in the same 2 buckets tomorrow useing the same composted leaves that the other corn grew in. Ill let you know how this last corn tasted and how the next crop grows.

DAN

I planted a bunch of popcorn seeds in a container the other day. Already have sprouts.

As of today the corn I planted mid May are growing like, well, like weeds. I planted them fully expecting them to fail because all I ever read on here is corn does not transplant well. Good thing I am hard headed. My corn is thriving. Now if only we could get sunny warm days again I could rest easy. BTW...I have sixteen stalks in the box. Here are a couple of progress pics pics. Sorry for the poor lighting.

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All these pictures of Earth Box type planters are making me want to jump on the bandwagon! Anyone of you guys have building plans for these?

This has me quite encouraged! I've been wondering about growing maize that I can grind into corn meal or corn flour since I can't get either here, and since my only garden option is container gardening, I'm very hopeful. Thank you!

An update on the sweet corn that I planted in the EarthTainer on April 6 (9 weeks ago). Measured height of 61" today. Growing well!

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Raybo

Raybo, are they still 4" on center? I never would have thought it possible to grow that close together especially in containers. I was gong to thin to 8" on center but after seeing what you've done I will leave them be and enjoy twice as much. Thanks for your pictures.

Yes, I left them on 4" spacing. They are really taking off, so hopefully, will have corn in the not too distant future. The 'Tainer that I planted April 29 is also coming along well too.

Raybo

For those wanting to make these Earthtainers, here's a great instructional PDF at bottom of this TomatoFest link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Earthtainer Instructional PDF

Ray, I didn't realize that is you in the TomatoFest picture! Great looking garden!

Wow, after reading all these posts and looking at the pics I'm going to have to give this a try. Have thought about planting corn in the past, but didn't realize that it could be planted so tight and still produce. Some pics of my containter garden as it is, can be seen on the blog link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Container Gardening in the Desert

After seeing Rays corn and how thick it is in his container I just planted my buckets with 7 plants in each. They are up about 6 inches now and looking good. I will try to use all I learned with my last try and hope for a better crop this time.

DAN

Hey Everyone,
I'm new to this forum and also attempting to grow corn in containers. I am also quite new to gardening. Can anyone share with me the type of fertilizer you are using for your congtainer corn?

newste, earthworm and others. Your corn stalks looked great in June but how did your corn turn out? Can show pictures of them with ears?

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Here's a picture of corn growing in seperate 3 liter Nanny Pods. 6 to a crate.

Wow!

I just built eight 14Gallon SWC's and will be building two 20Gallon SWC's for the 2009 season. I never expected corn to do well in something so small - always imagined it needed a LOT of room since it was a stalky, tall plant.

This is awesome to see!

What are good shorter varieties of corn?

Raybo's grow out corn pics

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It seems all of the seed catalogs have a "favorite sweet corn". Most of them are 78 days as well (maybe they are all the same - just different marketing names.

Anyway, the sweet corn in the above photo came from Gurneys called "Gotta-have-it". I was pleased with the results (shorter stalks which I liked in containers), and fairly productive.

Raybo

I'd like to start my corn indoors. Will the standard 6 cell pack work or should I start in 3in pots. They will be transplanted into 18gal containers, 8 per pot. Also regular seed srarter mix ok?
I hear some on this forum have had some luck with corn in 'tainers.. : )

I am doing 3 corn plants per 5 gal bucket... I may try 4 and see how it goes as well.