The Basics of Sweet Corn

This is the time of year sweet corn stands are being set up throughout northeast Ohio.

There are many local sweet corn growers in our area of Copley, Ohio. As most of you who like sweet corn, locally grown sweet corn is the best and best served the same day it is pick. Running a bit later than next year, growers are starting to harvest their corn this week.

Like most gardeners, I have grown sweet corn; however, it is too late to put it in now. This blog will serve as a guideline for planting sweet corn next year!

To understand sweet corn, one has to understand the physiology of the plant.

But let’s go back a little bit further. Sweet corn has very different uses than field corn.

Field corn is harvested for use as animal feed, cooking oils, corn syrup; cornstarch; and corn meals. Besides animal and human consumption, corn by-products are used to produce ethanol, batteries, medicines, paper and adhesives. Unlike sweet corn, field corn is allowed to dry in the field before it is harvested. This is truly a very valuable commodity.

Sweet corn on the other hand stores two times more sugar than the seeds of field corn and is served frozen, canned, or corn on the cob. Unlike the field corn, the kernel is not served as a dry kernel.

Despite the difference in uses, field and sweet corn grow much  the same way.

Corn can be planted from seed when there is no more risk of frost, and the soil temperature has reached about 50 to 60 degrees.

Corn requires pollination in order to grow healthy stocks. Corn pollination depends on the wind. Yield is increased if corn is planted in patches or blocks rather than singly in long rows.

Actually, the slightest of breezes help the tassels drop their pollen on to the female silks of the corn plant.

After the pollen has dropped on the plant, in about 5 days the corn is fertilized and the kernels start to form and are mature in about 20 days. (Again sweet corn is harvested when the kernels have just matured and field corn is allowed to dry out in the fields.)

Because of pollination needs, corn is planted in several rows so they can pollinate and is planted far from other varieties so cross-pollination does not occur.
　
Think of corn as a variety of grasses and therefore the corn plant requires heavier  amounts of nitrogen  than those plants, which are grown to produce fruit. Fertilizer recommendations would be 10-10-10 or 10-5-5 with nitrogen being offered in the highest ratio.


　

A great blog to read is Growing Corn.