share what I have learned with you.
I remember the first time I planted corn. It was my first summer garden season and I had a small garden in an old driveway on the side of my rental house. To save space and for shade purposes I planted two rows of corn in six inch high mounds on the north side of my garden. I can't help but laugh at myself now realizing that I did everything wrong. I learned a lot that first growing season, and even though it took me longer to have success at growing corn than other vegetables I stuck with it and eventually I was able to put the healthy delicious treat on my dinner table.
There are many types of corn available to the home gardener. There is corn for popping, corn for tamales, corn for tortillas, decorative corn, corn for feed and so on. Although most of the growing techniques described here today will apply to all types of corn, I really want to focus today on sweet corn, because that is what will most commonly be planted in the home garden.
Seed catalogs are jam packed with hundreds of varieties of sweet corn hybrids. Super sweet and extra sweet hybrid varieties promise gigantic sugar packed ears that gush with milky goodness when you pierce the kernels. Forget about those, for success in the desert we need to think small plants with a quick maturity date. Native seed Search has a great heirloom variety called Yuma Yellow. Full disclosure, I was born in Yuma so I may have a bias. I have also had success with a a hybrid variety called Casino you can get from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. In general, for Spring corn planting, you want to select a variety that matures in less than 75 days. Look for the keywords "early" or "extra early" in the name.
Growing corn successfully is really more of an art than a science, but there are some basic steps you can take to mitigate the environmental obstacles we face growing corn in the desert. Just like tomatoes, much of the success in growing corn depends as much as when you plant as the soil condition and variety of plant chosen. Start planting as the soil warms in March. The optimum soil temperature range for planting corn is 60-95 degrees.
Corn is a heavy feeder and requires a lot of water. Prepare your soil by either planting a cover crop and turning it in 6 weeks prior to planting, or my adding generous amounts of compost and turning it in 2 weeks before planting. Amend the soil at planting with organic fertilizers such as blood meal, bone meal, and kelp meal. Corn also enjoys a shot of fish emulsion and liquid seaweed every 2 weeks throughout the growing season. It is said that Native Americans would bury a fish next to the corn they planted to provide a source of food all season long.Plant in sunken beds that can be irrigated and mulch heavily to conserve water and to provide even moisture for corn's fibrous roots. Plant kernels 10" to 12" apart and in no less than a 4' x 4' square. The larger the area planted, the more successful you will be. Planting corn on the southern and western sides of your garden will create a natural shade that will aide the rest of the garden in the warm summer months.
You can give your corn a boost and put dinner on the table by interplanting pole beans with your corn. Select a variety that is known grow well such as Bisbee Black and plant between the rows of corn every 6" after the corn has reached about 8" in height. The beans will use the growing corn as a natural trellis and will also provide the corn with nitrogen in the process.
The most critical period for growing corn is the time when the silks begin to form. Silks are the ovaries of the female flower of the corn, the tassels on top are specialized male flowers that distribute pollen. Every single strand of silk is corresponds to a kernel on the cob. If you ever have pulled back a husk to find half of the cob to be kernel free, the reason was not enough pollen reached the silks. Silks are damaged by stress and by heat. Early planting of corn means the silks will hopefully form while the weather is still cool. but it is up to you to keep your plants properly watered during this critical period. Signs to look for include rolling leaves that are drying at the tips.
If all is successful, you will be rewarded with a bounty of the sweetest corn you will ever taste. You will know your corn is ready when the silks turn to a dark brown but are not dried out. Peel back the husk and pierce one of the kernels with your fingernail, if it exudes milky white goodness, you know it is ready. Harvest your corn as close to the time you are going to eat it as possible. Old timey farmers say you should wait to pick the corn until after the water is boiling, and I tend to agree.
I wish you all the best of luck with your corn this season. For those of you who may not yet have the time and space to plant a spring crop of corn, there will be another planting opening towards the end of summer during the monsoon, so check back during that time when I discuss planting other types of corn such as flour and flint.
Happy Gardening!
Native Seed Search .PDF Catalog
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply Seed Selection
