Can I grow corn on a small property?
Yes, but it can be challenging. Corn is a member of the grass family and grasses are wind pollinated unlike most other plants in your vegetable garden which are pollinated by insects.
Corn pollen is produced by the tassle that forms at the top of each corn stalk. In order for the kernels to fully develop, the wind needs to blow pollen from that tassle onto the strands of silk that grow out of the top of each cob. If pollination is incomplete, you will end up with an ear full of kernels of varying sizes.
You need to plant enough corn so that the chances of all of the kernels being pollinated is maximized. That means sowing corn in a block that is at least four rows wide and ten feet long.
Other tips for growing corn successfully include choosing short season varieties that will mature before the temperatures start to cool off later this summer and waiting to sow your corn until after June 1st since corn that is sown in damp, cool soil often rots.
Do all that and you should be successful.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at vanessa@gardenmuse.ca.
