Contrary to what you may think, home gardeners can grow corn. You don’t need a ton of space to do it, and there are varieties of corn you can grow that will work in your growing season and for your purposes.
Discover how to plant corn by the row in any garden. You can grow the best sweet corn from seed without needing acres and acres of land.
Why You Should Plant Corn
When summer comes around, my family and I look forward to delicious, sweet corn. There isn’t anything like it. There is something right about eating corn at an outdoor pig roast or BBQ and enjoying it with friends and family, especially if you grew it yourself.
The kids love watching the corn grow tall and strong, hiding in the rows and picking ears of corn. If you haven’t experienced growing your own corn, give it a try. You will be so happy to harvest corn you grew with your own two hands.
We plant raised bed gardens with raised corner garden beds that we fill with the best soil for raised garden beds. We prep our beds for planting using compost from large-scale composting on the farm and from vermicomposting.
In addition to our central raised bed garden, we till up a large area to plant corn in rows right in the ground. We use our own compost to improve the soil’s quality and make amendments to the soil after testing the soil.
Corn makes a great addition to our farm. Since we are raising chickens and pigs, they also love snacking on any extra corn we happen to have!
Corn Varieties
It’s easy to be confused about which corn seeds to plant. The popularity and versatility of corn begin with the variety of corn seeds.
As you decide what corn to grow, consider how you would like to use the corn you harvest. Look for non-GMO and disease-resistant options. Here are some of the most common types of corn planted in the USA.
Sweet
We love to grow sweet corn. We eat it fresh, or we can freeze or can it, but it is truly best to eat it right away after harvesting. Sweet corn comes in different colors, including yellow, white, and bi-colored.
You can get disease-resistant varieties of sweet corn that grow to various levels of sweetness and sizes. Sweet corn shouldn’t be grown to full maturity, so read your labels. You know sweet corn is ready to pick when you squeeze the corn kernel, and a milky, juicy liquid comes out.
Pop
Popcorn, as the name suggests, is primarily used for making popcorn. It’s a commonly loved snack today, but popcorn seeds can be traced back to the times of the Native American tribes.
You can find heirloom and non-GMO varieties available to plant still today. Popcorn varieties come in different colors, such as yellow, white, or black, and can have either small or large kernels.
The kernels have a hard, moisture-resistant outer shell that allows them to pop when exposed to heat. It is typically lower in sugar and starch than other corn types, making it a healthier snack option.
Kernel
Kernel corn, also known as dent corn, gets its name from the characteristic dent or dimple that forms on the top of the kernel as it dries.
It’s one of the most widely grown types of corn, and it gets used in various ways, like in animal feed, cornmeal, ethanol, and corn syrup production. It is not picked fresh. You allow it to grow to full maturity and pick when it is dry.
Flint
Flint corn, more commonly known as Indian corn, comes in various pretty colors. It is named Flint for its stone-like texture. It can be decorative corn or ground into a meal for uses like polenta, hominy, cornmeal, and starch.
Ancient tribes used this corn because of its hearty tolerance and high nutrient value. Heirloom varieties today remain robust and high in nutrients.
Flour
Flour corn, you guessed it, is used to make flour. Its soft texture makes it easy to grind into a fine four versus a course corn meal. Its subtle flavor makes it easy to use as flour or fine cornmeal. You can make tortillas, breads, cakes, or other baked goods with it.
Flour corn is prominently grown in the Southwest United States.
Waxy
Lastly, waxy corn is a unique variety of corn first grown in China with a higher percentage of waxy starch than other types of corn. It contains high levels of amylopectin, giving it a gummy texture, making it ideal for use in foods such as pudding, sauces, and adhesives.
The kernels even appear waxy. Waxy corn is typically grown for industrial purposes and is not commonly in grocery stores. However, Asian countries commonly use waxy corn.
Corn Growing Methods
Rows
When planting corn in rows, plan to create several short rows. Corn needs to cross pollinate. Instead of making one long row, corn needs to grow side-by-side. Plan to plant at least three rows.
Pay attention to the directions on the seed packets. It will suggest how far apart your rows should be. Generally, sow seeds 30 to 36 inches apart.
Corn is actually considered grass, meaning corn is wind pollinated! If the corn rows are too far apart, the pollen may not reach the other plants. When planted with cross pollination in mind, you will grow bigger, fuller ears of corn.
Mounds
Planting corn in mounds may be an option, especially if you have a small garden space. The mound method still allows for cross pollination and saves space.
In your garden, create mounds of soil at least 6 inches high. Flatten the top of the mound and plant four to six corn seeds in a circle six inches apart. You may decide to add mulch to your mounds after the corn stalks are a few inches tall to help keep your soil mound loose and moist.
We recommend planting more than one mound in such a fashion to promote cross pollination. The mounds can be 24 to 36 inches away from each other.
If you are in an area with high winds, planting in rows helps shield the corn stalk from the wind. Whether you plant in mounds or in rows, corn grows best in nutrient-rich soil with multiple plants nearby to cross pollinate and protect each other from the wind.
Supplies Needed
- Corn Seeds – We plant sweet corn from Johnny’s seeds. We purchase the seeds online.
- Earthway Precision Garden Seeder – A garden seeder is optional, but this planter takes any guesswork out of planting. It keeps the seeds and rows even and comes with interchangeable blades depending on your seed type.
- Garden Tiller – We use a Troy-Bilt garden tiller with a 5-horse power engine. At its widest point, it is 20 inches wide. I will use this to till between the rows of corn to keep the weeds from coming up in between the rows.
- Water – Make sure you have a plan for watering your corn crop. Corn needs moist soil. You may want to use an automatic drip irrigation system to water your corn.
Preparing the Soil
Preparing the soil in the fall is best by adding compost and covering it with mulch. But, even if you didn’t get a chance to be ready in the fall, at least add compost before planting in the spring.
Pro-Tip: Planting geraniums nearby will help repel corn earworms from infesting your corn crops.
Till the soil, cultivating it at least 8 inches deep. Turn in compost and test your soil. We recommend soil testing with the Redmond soil testing kit. You want the pH of your soil to be around 6.0 to 6.5.
Sweet corn is a heavy feeder; it needs soil high in nitrogen. For that reason, many plant pole beans near corn to help amend the nitrogen corn uses. We fertilize our corn patch with a side dressing of fertilizer after the corn stalks have emerged.
Squash often gets planted between corn rows to help shade the soil, keeping in moisture and keeping it from becoming compacted.
Test the temperature of your soil before planting. Do not plant corn until the soil temp is 65°F since corn is a quick germination crop. Wet or cool soil can rot the seeds you planted if you plant too soon.
Pro-Tip: If you are in a hurry to get your seeds in the ground, you can cover your soil in plastic and plant through holes in the plastic. This will help warm the temperature of the soil. But we just wait until the soil is warm enough on its own before planting.
How to Plant Corn Step by Step
- Prepare your garden spot by tilling up a square plot in an area with full sun. It is better to have several short rows rather than one or two long rows.
- Test your soil using a soil testing kit. Add any amendments to the tilled soil.
- Work in organic matter to the soil. We use compost from our farm to prepare dark and rich soil.
- Once the soil is prepared and ready, purchase your corn seeds. We love regular sweet corn from Johnny’s Seeds online store.
- If using a garden seeder, prepare it by attaching the blade made for planting corn. It will say “sweet corn” for the Earthway Garden Seeder.
- Dump the whole package of corn seeds into the hopper.
- Slowly move the Earthway Garden Seeder among your first row. As you push it along, it turns the blade. As the blade turns, it drops a seed down the shoot, and the seeds get planted in precise measurements. The seeder drops a corn seed every 4 to 6 inches. It is really precise. After the seed drops onto the ground, a chain runs along the ground, loosely covering the seeds with soil. Also, the planter has a metal bar that comes off to the side with a blade or a spike affixed to it. The blade drags into the ground making a trench for your next row of corn 30 inches apart from the first row.
- After planting the first row, line the seeder’s wheel up with the trench it made. Begin the second row. Again, the Earthway seeder drops seeds 4 to 6 inches apart, and the arm going off to the side creates your next row as you work. Watch the hopper and be sure to refill it as it begins to empty.
- Repeat these steps until you have planted all the rows you intend to plant.
- Once you finish sowing the seeds, water your corn patch with about an inch of water.
- Lastly, anticipate a delicious sweet corn harvest!
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