Growing sweet corn is different from growing field corn. Many farmers tell tales of failure while trying to grow corn, especially the sweet corn variety. Yet, it is so popular in American homes and backyard barbeques.
We definitely have tales of success and failures with corn. So, we would like to share with you the methods that work for us! This starts with soil health.
We recommend fertilizing sweet corn to give your crops the best start. Read on to find out how to use nitrogen fertilizers after you plant your corn patch.
Growing Corn
Each year we expand our garden and experiment with different gardening methods and types of plants. We find great joy in producing food for our family.
And we find even greater joy when sharing our home-grown foods with friends and neighbors. And share the results of our gardening experiments with you.
Some musts we have come to rely on are our large-scale composting on the farm, vermicomposting to enrich the soil, and our automatic drip irrigation system, which works perfectly with our DIY raised corner garden beds.
Some gardeners forget that starting with the best soil for raised garden beds means taking the time to test the soil before planting to provide any necessary amendments to the soil for optimal growth.
Sweet corn varieties, especially the sugary enhanced corn, are definitely among the crops that do best with healthy soil, particularly soil high in nitrogen content. After learning how to plant corn in healthy soil, adding nitrogen to the soil during the early days of growth is beneficial.
Following this practice of adding nitrogen to the soil will result in full ears of corn and a hearty crop perfect for sharing with friends and family.
Fertilizers Used for Sweet Corn
Applying fertilizer when growing sweet corn helps maintain plant health so that you can harvest full ears of corn with juicy, sweet kernels.
- General Fertilizer – Adding a general fertilizer (10-10-10) to your soil in the fall to winter over is a good practice. If you didn’t add fertilizer in the fall, you can still add it in the spring when you are preparing your corn patch.
- Organic Matter – Compost, manure, and mulch offer nutrients to the soil and help keep the soil moist and aerated. Add in the fall and the spring.
- pH Amendments – If you test your soil in the fall and find that it is outside the recommended pH level for corn (6.0 to 7.0), then adding lime to the soil before winter hits will help neutralize the acidity in the soil.
- Nitrogen Fertilizer – Corn is a heavy nitrogen feeder. It will use up all the nitrogen in the soil in one growing season. Use a side dressing of straight nitrogen fertilizer, ammonium sulfate, at least once per growing season. Use a 21-0-0 to a 34-0-0 ammonium sulfate fertilizer.
The Best Time for Fertilizing Sweet Corn
- In the Fall – The best time for fertilizing sweet corn starts with the soil preparations in the Fall. Adding a general fertilizer to the soil works well, like a 10-10-10 fertilizer. Take a soil test to ensure the soil’s pH level falls between 6.0 and 7.0. Add lime if the soil is too acidic.
- Before Planting – Make any necessary amendments to your soil. We like using the compost from our farm or our vermicomposting to add nutrients to the soil. Work in organic matter or fertilizers to the soil at least a few inches deep before planting your corn seeds.
- Early Growth – Then, once the corn begins to grow and measures about 12 inches high, add straight nitrogen fertilizer. It is important to add nitrogen when the corn is small but growing at its fastest rate.
How Often to Fertilize Sweet Corn
You can side-dress your sweet corn with nitrogen 2 to 3 times in the growing season. If you have particularly sandy soil or it happens to have a lot of rain, you may even want to side-dress more frequently.
Without adding nitrogen fertilizer, your corn stalks may become dry and crinkly. You may experience poor kernel development or have very few ears of corn on each stalk.
Can You Use Too Much Fertilizer on Corn?
Be sure to follow the recommendations of the fertilizer you decide to use. Adding too much nitrogen fertilizer can cause problems, too. Too much nitrogen can cause corn stalks to fall over or increase the possibility of disease.
There is only so much nitrogen corn plants will take in, so if you over-fertilize, the fertilizer just becomes run-off and can enter the water stream. That is why we highly recommend testing your soil so that you are not guessing.
Supplies Needed
- Fertilizer – Use an ammonium sulfate fertilizer, at least a 21-0-0 nitrogen fertilizer.
- Tiller – We use a Troy Bilt tiller that fits between our corn rows.
- Water – Plan to water your corn after fertilizing. Your corn plants should receive about an inch of water a week.
Fertilizing Sweet Corn Step by Step
- Purchase a nitrogen fertilizer. This can be an ammonium sulfate with 21-0-0, meaning 21%nitrogen. You can use fertilizers with a higher percentage of nitrogen as well. 21-0-0 would be the minimum recommendation.
- Once your corn plants are about 12 inches tall, side-dress the corn by sprinkling the fertilizer around the base of each corn plant.
- Use a tiller that fits between the corn rows to till between each cornrow. This will work the fertilizer into the ground, helping the nitrogen reach the root systems quicker. It also helps control weeds, and it aerates the soil.
- Water your corn patch.
- Watch your corn grow healthy and strong over 60 to 100 days, and be ready to harvest delicious sweet corn!
We hope you decide to grow sweet corn and wish you great success on your harvest! We find raising and growing our own food so rewarding. And we love sharing our story with you. Check out our posts on raising chickens, roasting a whole hog, extracting honey, and butchering quail. Whatever farming endeavor you want to try, we encourage you to give it a go!
Other Articles You May Enjoy
- Growing Hydroponic Strawberries
- Fire Blight in the Orchard (Prevention + Treatment)
- How to Get Rid of Squash Bugs
- Large Scale Composting on the Farm
- Automatic Drip Irrigation System
- Vermicomposting – Enriching Your Soil
- Blackberry Jelly Recipe
- Picking Blackberries (Foraging for Wild Edibles)
- Soil Testing with Redmond Soil Kit
