Corn Spacing

[ducks4you]

I do not plant when I see others plant. If you have anyone planting corn close to you when you plant, wait 3 weeks or try to get yours in earlier. So they don't set silks at the same time. You don't want cross pollination to occur.

Thanks! I hadn't considered that...

 

[seedcorn]

Couple of thoughts on field corn vs sweet corn

1) farmers drop between 29-34 plants per acre in 30" rows mostly. That translates to about 6" spacing in the row width. The wider the rows, the closer the plants are.

2) W/out knowing their corn maturity/pollinating day vs your sweet corn, it's pure bad luck if they pollinate at the same time. Too many people buy a non-sweet sweet corn and then blame cross pollination on why it's not super sweet.

3) Unless you are planting right beside the field, the amount of cross pollination that will occur is virtually nothing (in spite what most people will try and tell you). Most pollen will fall straight down. My sweet corn patch is w/in 10' of field. Many farmers plant their sweet corn in the same field w/no problems.

4) During pollination, water, water, water so the silks will develop correctly as they are about 90% water. Most pollination problems are silk problems and not pollen problems.

5) If you have a fertile soil, and keep it watered, you can plant sweet corn very close together as you are picking immature ears and that doesn't take as much energy. Plus if you don't damage the corn plant, second ears should develop as well. The second ear may not be as large but it will taste just as good.

 

[silkiechicken]

I usually plant 12 inches apart and find hilling 3 in one area usually leaves one strong plant and two weak ones, with the strong one not as good as individually spaced plants. But those are just my results. 12 inches may seem far apart, but even with short season varieties (good if you don't have very many heat hours), by the time they are all grown up, you can't walk between them without breaking the two foot long leaves that drape away from the stalk.

 

[lupinfarm]

I usually plant 12 inches apart and find hilling 3 in one area usually leaves one strong plant and two weak ones, with the strong one not as good as individually spaced plants. But those are just my results. 12 inches may seem far apart, but even with short season varieties (good if you don't have very many heat hours), by the time they are all grown up, you can't walk between them without breaking the two foot long leaves that drape away from the stalk.

I'm not concerned about walking between them. This little experiment will be in a 4ft x 4ft raised bed.

 

[HunkieDorie23]

I think it depends on the type of corn because I was reading an article and it said between 4-12". Now that is a big gap. I usually plant mine about 4-6" and I don't thin. You're supposed to but I can't see pulling a healthy plant. My corn is fine every year. Actually it is usually one of my best crops.

When to plant is about 2 wks after last spring frost. Corn doesn't like cold.

 

[lupinfarm]

I think it depends on the type of corn because I was reading an article and it said between 4-12". Now that is a big gap. I usually plant mine about 4-6" and I don't thin. You're supposed to but I can't see pulling a healthy plant. My corn is fine every year. Actually it is usually one of my best crops.

When to plant is about 2 wks after last spring frost. Corn doesn't like cold.

I know that, but I'm looking at planting under a polytunnel. Ie. greenhouse on top of my raised bed. My raised beds keep their heat really super awesome, even right now. Last year I started my tomatoes in like April!

 

[seedcorn]

I think it depends on the type of corn because I was reading an article and it said between 4-12". Now that is a big gap. I usually plant mine about 4-6" and I don't thin. You're supposed to but I can't see pulling a healthy plant. My corn is fine every year. Actually it is usually one of my best crops.

When to plant is about 2 wks after last spring frost. Corn doesn't like cold.

I know that, but I'm looking at planting under a polytunnel. Ie. greenhouse on top of my raised bed. My raised beds keep their heat really super awesome, even right now. Last year I started my tomatoes in like April!

polytunnel until they are up? or through whole process? If whole process, during silking, go shake the plants to drop the pollen.

 

[wifezilla]

I imagine polytunnel until the weather is more "friendly". Otherwise, like you said, you will have to do some hand pollinating.

My weather isn't quite as bad as Canadian weather, but I am starting some corn inside and will polytunnel it until end of May. We are USUALLY done with the freak blizzards by then!

 

[lupinfarm]

I think it depends on the type of corn because I was reading an article and it said between 4-12". Now that is a big gap. I usually plant mine about 4-6" and I don't thin. You're supposed to but I can't see pulling a healthy plant. My corn is fine every year. Actually it is usually one of my best crops.

When to plant is about 2 wks after last spring frost. Corn doesn't like cold.

I know that, but I'm looking at planting under a polytunnel. Ie. greenhouse on top of my raised bed. My raised beds keep their heat really super awesome, even right now. Last year I started my tomatoes in like April!

polytunnel until they are up? or through whole process? If whole process, during silking, go shake the plants to drop the pollen.

Polytunnel until the weather is warm enough to take it off. I did it last year for other plants, and the plastic came off in June because our spring was atrocious, bu this year it's been warmer earlier.