Corn Planting - time or varieties

15 years ago

Hello all-

Next spring I plan on planting corn in a 6 x 6 bed. I figured that if I spaced them out 8", this would give me over 100 plants. Assuming all of my corn matures at the same time, that is way too much corn for me to eat..

So, I could stagger my planting. Plant 1/4 of the bed per week.

Could I just plant different varieties of corn? A fast, medium and slow maturing variety?

My question really comes down to pollination. Would either of these methods work with 100 plants? Or, am I better off with just planting/harvesting it all at once, and being friendly to my neighbors?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'd rather plan it now than make dumb mistakes later.

Thanks,

Karl

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Comments (7)

digdirt2
15 years ago
I'd say stick with one variety to avoid all the cross pollination problems - CP shows up immediately in corn - and stagger your plantings by 2 weeks.

I'd also suggest just 2 plantings and increasing your spacing. Shoot for 50-60 plants total in that small amount of space rather than 100. ;)

Dave
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n2xjk
15 years ago
Another option is to plant your whole bed at one time with an open pollinated (OP) variety of corn. Their maturity isn't as uniform as hybrids, which would work in your favor. As long as you start your pot boiling before you pick the corn, OP varieties can be just as tasty.

A relatively 'new' OP variety is Double Standard, which is actually a mix of white and yellow seeds, two varieties that cross-pollinate well to produce a bi-color. (Johnny's Select Seeds carries it; they list it as an exclusive, but I've seen it in other catalogs too.)
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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
15 years ago
As far as pollination goes, just shake the plants a little and let the pollen dust fly. Do this 2 or 3 days running. You can bend the tops over a bit and consider the wind to get the dust on the new silks.
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macheske
15 years ago
Karl,
I'm planting 4 80' rows (4' apart) of corn this year. I'm planning on planting 20' per week. I'm actually surprised that you're planting so close. I figure I will put in about 640 plants in my space. Have you tried corn that close before?
Rick
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fusion_power
15 years ago
You will require VERY fertile soil in a 6 X 6 bed to produce corn at all. A lot depends on how big the variety gets. Bigger corn will need more room. You could have 36 plants in that area with a larger variety vs about 72 plants of a small like Early Alaska. Lots of water will also be needed so keep a hose handy.

DarJones
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paulc_gardener
15 years ago
You can plant corn very close. 4 inches between plants and 12 inch wide rows. High fertility and water is all you need. Planting corn in 4 ft rows is way too wide.

There are varieties that have a long harvest window, like 3 weeks. Some of the older varieties have harvest window on only 2 or 3 days. Having your pot of water boiling before you pick is true of these older varieties.

Some of the newer varieties will keep fresh for 3 weeks in the refridgeator.
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deschuteslady1
15 years ago
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