How to Care for Corn the 13 Step Guide

Plant seeds about 1.5 to 2 inches deep and up to 4-6 feet apart. Cover the seed with soil. If you’re planting rows, keep them 30 to 36 inches apart. Water seeds after planting.You should not need to help the corn stalks with stakes as the stalks are rather sturdy.

The best time to plant corn is late April to early May.

To propagate corn make an angled cut at the rooting end of the cane. You will need to dip the cut end into rooting powder and stick it into a pot of pumice, perlite, or coarse sand. You want to stay away from potting soil because the plant will stay too damp and will rot the stem prior to roots being established.

Yes, you can grow corn in a pot.

Corn likes to be watered 2 inches per square food per week.

Fertilize corn up to 3 times within its growth cycle. Ideally, the schedule would look like fertilizing at planting, 4 weeks, and between 8 to 10 weeks.

Corn will bloom about 60-90 days after planting.

You can tell when corn is ripe by looking at the tassels at the end of each cob. The tassels should be turning dark brown, which usually happens around week six after tassels appear.

You can also do a fingernail test by peeling back the top of the sheath and firmly inserting a fingernail into the kernel. If a creamy liquid pops out, it’s ready!

You can harvest corn around 6 weeks after the tassels at the end of the cob appears.

It’s best to use corn on the day it is harvested. To keep corn longer, keep it unwashed and unpeeled sealed in a plastic bag in a crisper drawer. It should keep like this for 5 to 7 days.

Corn is a vegetable.

Companion plants for corn include: basil, dill, nasturtiums, pole beans, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, sunflowers, white clover. Avoid cabbage, broccoli, and kale as the corn stalks will continue to grow up and block what sun these plants require.

Corn is the third largest plant-based food source in the world. Despite its importance as a major food in many parts of the world, corn is inferior to other cereals in nutritional value. Its protein is of poor quality, and it is deficient in niacin. Diets in which it predominates often result in pellagra (niacin-deficiency disease). Corn is high in dietary fibre and rich in antioxidants.