Snarkie

Has anyone tried growing corn directly in your lawn? I jumped into it yesterday because I have a ton of seed and no bed to take it. I bought two packs of sweet corn varieties at Wally World (enough for my space), but then I found a pound of Silver King at Southern States, and like a dumbass, bought it too because both Dad and I prefer white corn.

Since I don't have the bed built yet, and the fact I have almost an entire farm's supply of seed, I figured I'd just put it directly in the lawn and see what happens. I took a 12" spike, marked 2" with white duct tape and hammered holes on string lines and dropped the kernels in. I have absolutely no idea if this will work or not, so if any of you have ever tried this, I'd love some feedback. I will definitely keep you abreast of the progress, as we all may learn something from this.

Also, I'll have waaaay more than I need, so I was planning on freezing the ears husks-on and then thawing and nuking for "fresh" corn on the cob. Has anyone tried freezing unhusked ears of corn before? I swear, this whole learning thing is really annoying to me, LOL.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

George Webster

I did. Corn needs lots of nitrogen to make the stalk. when the seed sprouted I made a small hole a couple inches from each stalk. And, placed about a 1/4 cup fertilizer. They did good.

Iowa

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Growing Musa Orinoco since 1993 - Added 2018-Basjoo, Zebrina' Rojo, Ensete Red Abyssinian - Added 2019-Goldfinger - Added 2020-Kokopo (Short Cycle), Double (Mahoi), Highgate, Super Dwarf Cavendish - Added 2021-Pisang Ceylon(Mysore), Musa Margarita, Ensete Ventricosum - Added 2023 - Siam Ruby

edwmax

1) Corn seed should be planted 1" to 1 1/2" deep. .... I plant mine about 1".


2) Corn does not self pollinate (except some new hybrids which are expensive). Thus in gardens the wind is likely to blow the pollen away from the neighboring plant causing poor pollination and yield to be very poor to NON_EXISTANT. Planting 1 or 2 rows will not work! .... So for a garden, plant at least 4 rows adjacent to each other ( I do 5 rows) and space seed about 2" apart. The recommend seed spacing has been is about 12" or more apart for years, but I found that in a garden 2" is better for improved pollination and yield. Farmers that plant high yield corn acreages are planting at 3" to 4" apart to get that 400 or 450 bushels per acre. .... DON't worry about it, if someone tales you 2" is too close. That's is simply BS. Corn is a type of grass..... Just water and fertilize based on the number of plants.


3) I use 10-10-10 fertilizer. Your soil might need something different but a balanced triple NPK should do. I do not apply fertilizer to the soil before planting, but side dress after the corn is 2" or 3" tall; and again when 12" tall at a rate of about 5 cups or 2 L per 100 foot row. .... This year I plan to make a 3rd application when the corn is about 2 ft tall.


Now a little info: Different corn varieties produce 1 ear per stalk, others may make 2 ears. The ears size can also vary. But knowing what variety you are planting, you can estimate the expected yield. ... 1 bushel of corn is 56 lbs or approximately 112 ears 8" long to get 56 lbs of grain.



So: 5 rows X 100ft / .16ft = 3125 plants Divide by 112 ears (assuming 1 ear per plant) equals 28 bushels possible. I'll be happy with half of that but I do get a lot more than I use or give away.


Another fact: Corn seed will keep and be viable for 3 or 4 years if kept dry, cool and bugs out (use sealed coffee can). And the seed suppliers are likely to sell all their corn seed by early summer, the extra seed is for successive plantings in June or July. I normally buy 3 lb per year each (6lbs total) of Truckers Corn yellow and white ($2.50/lb). Then plant 3 rows of yellow & 2 rows of white in one 5 row X 100dt section; and 3 row of white & 2 rows of yellow in another 5 row X 100ft section. This then makes a ear that is mixed white & yellow (peaches & cream). Don't pay extra for a mixed hybrid ($6 to $10 peaches & cream) when you can simple mix white & yellow corn when planting. Plan for the seeds needed for the season.



Does this answer your question???? Yes I grow corn in my garden. Picture coming in my garden thread.

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edwmax

I really doubt that! 1 lb is about 1300 seeds or 5 rows X 43 ft long @ 2" spacing. hahaha .... you need more seed if you are going to cook Low Country Boil for friends.

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edwmax

Oh .... Truckers corn grows to 10ft to 12 ft tall. Plant it across the front half of your yard. Then the neighbors wont be able to see your house nor anyone driving by. hahah .....

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Snarkie

This is going in my front lawn, not a garden, LOL! I mean, it's part of the garden, but not planted along a fence or something. I have 5 rows 12" apart on 6" centers. I may do another batch somewhere else, but I have waaaaay too much seed for this year, so I'm glad to know it will store well in the fridge.

IDK how tall this will grow, but my front yard is pretty well blocked from the road anyway. It's difficult for people to see IN, but I can certainly see OUT. If they like a lot of nitrogen, I can use a lot of urine on them for that. I'll throw some potash on there too, and see how that works.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

edwmax

I don't use the frig to store my seed and don't have a problem. The frig is ok, but seal the seeds in ziplocks because of the high humidity.



I forgot to mention, when the corn tassels & makes the ripe ear, it will go hard in 2 weeks. ...less if it is hot and dry. The only way to have fresh corn through the .summer is by successive plantings 2 or 3 weeks apart. Plant in May, June, & July to have fresh corn July through Septmember.

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smeash

I have planted it directly in an area of my lawn, but i did till the rows first. I side dressed it twice with 13/13/13. It grew well but had a tendancy to get the stalks blown over. Mine was in a block of 4 rows x12. Nearly all stalks got corn on them, but i did shake the stalks several times to try to help pollination in such a small grow. pour on the nitrogen, and planting beans in the same block and allowing them to climb the stalks helps too.. beans fix nitrogen in the soil.

Snarkie

Well, progress is slow. I most likely did not get enough nitrogen on them. I'll have to rectify that. So I'm thinking I'll do it differently next year. Too much competition from the grass I think.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

edwmax

Why wait until next year ...????? ....Replant it now!

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Snarkie

Because I haven't decided what I will do next year; raised beds or tilling the lawn. I also want to see how these actually do. If it's a nitrogen deficiency, I can fix that next year. It's too hot and dry now to start this season.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

edwmax

The point is you still have time to grow corn. May be even make a few ears. So replanting now will help to resolve problems with fertilizer and learn how much water is needed and when to irrigate. .... Then next year you will be better informed and know what you want to do. .... As far as water, I've been irrigating the garden almost every day since April. The top 2 -3 inches of soil moisture is critical.



In the past I planted a 3rd section of corn for harvest late September or early October. So I would be planting now. .... Regular corn needs 75 to 90 days from planting to harvest; sweet corn needs 55 to 65 days.

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*Dearly Depotted*

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It’s long been a dream of mine to be able to grow real bananas off my own plants! So, please wish me luck on my quest to fulfill that dream!

Snarkie

Well, this was an abysmal failure! It pretty much died out, and now the fall pumpkin vines are running rampant through there. I still have a pound of Silver King sealed up to use next year. I'll get it going in homemade bio pots and transplant out early.

I will be putting another raised bed in there next year, so I'll go that route. Since the soil will be loose and likely to let the corn blow over, I'm designing a horizontal lattice frame support that will install about three feet up, to stabilize the plants. They'll grow up though the lattice, and it should keep them from blowing over.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

*Dearly Depotted*

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It’s long been a dream of mine to be able to grow real bananas off my own plants! So, please wish me luck on my quest to fulfill that dream!