Indian Corn Growing Like Weeds!

[Nifty]

Right before Halloween we went to a local spot of land where the city has protected about an acre for a generational family owned farm to grow corn, pumpkins, etc. They do a tiny corn maze and tractor rides, etc. for the kids.

The corn they grow is "Indian Corn" ? Multiple colored kernels. Rumor is they grow it because it is good for the maze, etc.

Well, there were a TON of tiny little plants on the ground and we thought nothing of it... just weeds at a farm. Well, turns out they were all tiny little corn sprouts!!!

 

[PunkinPeep]

neato!

 

[injunjoe]

Your little girl is so cute. She is meant to be in pictures.

Kind of hard to get lost in that Maze!

Joe

 

[digitS']

There's a theory, Nifty, that is probably true, that corn cannot live without human involvement.

This idea is based on the fact that ears of corn are densely packed with kernels that grow into large plants.

We have probably all seen a corn field that has been left fallow the following year. There will often be a few plants that grow. It is kind of fun to see a field that has been seeded to something else, like alfalfa, after it has grown corn in a previous year. The alfalfa will be tiny in its first year but corn plants will shoot up here and there amongst it.

If we notice, there aren't usually very many of these plants. So, the corn hasn't been very successful at avoiding the harvest and self-sowing. But, a big problem for it is that if the kernels on an ear do germinate - - so many plants grow in one place that competition is too great for any one plant to mature seed. If it does manage to pull that off - that ear of corn has the same problem the following year.

Of course, the corn growing at the feet of your little girl won't survive a frost. Maybe, you shouldn't tell her that . . .

We are a team, corn and people. We face the vicissitudes of nature hands on . . . uh, ear .

Steve
who tries to never miss the chance to use the word "vicissitudes"