Growing corn in the country is a common activity for a modern gardener. There is no person indifferent to the taste of sugar grains. Why not cook a cob picked from your own garden bed?
The crop is grown for grain in regions with long, warm summers. They are planted for silage everywhere. But breeders have developed varieties and hybrids for cultivation in problem regions. They produce high-quality mature grain.
Corn loves plenty of sunlight, warmth and structured soil. It is not difficult to fulfill these conditions.And then at the end of summer there will be delicious aromatic food on the table.
Features of culture
Corn cultivation began in the southern regions. There is enough light and warmth there. The soils are neutral and fertile. The crop produced consistently high yields with minimal labor input.
The grain was used to prepare soups and porridges. Bread and cakes were baked from flour. Surplus crops were fed to livestock and poultry. Even the stems were put to good use: they were used to cover winter crop plantings and were used to retain snow. In the steppe regions they were dried and heated in ovens.
And now it is difficult to imagine a vegetable garden in the south of Russia where this crop would not be planted. But now even residents of the problem region can decorate their area with green panicles.
Agronomists distinguish between garden and field corn. The second contains less sugar and has more grain-filled cobs. Its productivity is higher. The first one is sweeter, softer. Residents of regions with a lack of heat and light should grow gardening. Seed producers label it in a special way: they add the word “sugar” to the name.
What is needed for this
Before you grow corn in your dacha yourself, you should evaluate the characteristics of your dacha plot. Need to analyze:
- Soil acidity. The plant prefers neutrals. On acidic soils, liming should be carried out. Alkaline - acidify with peat.
- Soil structure. Grass requires free penetration of water and air to the root system. On heavy loams and clays, carry out sanding (distribute a bucket of sand over a square meter, dig up).
- The soil under plantings must retain water. Light sandy loams need to be clayed (add a bucket of clay per square meter, dig it up).
- Fertility of the earth. First add nitrogen to depleted soils, and then (after 5–7 days) a complex of phosphorus and potassium.
- Select a variety or hybrid, taking into account the duration of the growing season and the climatic characteristics of the region.
Plant corn in the sunniest place. It should be protected from cold northern and northeastern winds. The southern wall of a country house is ideal. It is recommended to prepare such an area in advance.
How to choose: variety or hybrid?
Before planting corn in the garden, it is recommended to choose a variety or hybrid. Hybrids produce larger yields and are less demanding on climatic conditions. But their price is 30% higher. This is noticeable when purchasing seeds for sowing large areas.
The varieties have been tested by generations of gardeners. It is realistic to carry out your own breeding work: select suitable types of plants. There is an opportunity to have your own fund. Over time, you can create a collection of seeds from the varieties you like.
Popular sweet corn hybrids:
- Madonna. Ripening period is early. The cob grows up to 200 g. The plant reaches a height of up to 2 m. The grain in the cob is yellow.
- Trophy. Mid-early ripening. Grows up to 2 m. Ear weight up to 280 g. The grain is orange.
- Legend. Early ripening hybrid. The weight of the cob is 250 g. It stretches up to 1.7 m. The grain in the cob is orange-yellow.
- Boston. Average ripening period. The cob weighs up to 200 g. The grain is bright yellow.
An attractive feature of these hybrids is their consistently high yield in open ground.
How to plant corn?
Before how to plant corn, a set of agronomic measures should be carried out. The final yield of the crop depends on this.
Soil preparation
Young plants do not tolerate the presence of weeds. Even small aggressors can stop the growth of corn. In conditions of a short period of heat, it will not be possible to obtain tasty, aromatic cobs.
You should prepare a place at your summer cottage in the fall. The ridges need to be dug up using a shovel. Carefully remove the roots of perennial plants. Break up lumps of earth. If necessary, add a complex of mineral fertilizers.
In the spring (after the snow melts), disking twice with a flat cutter. The processing depth is 10–15 cm. A Fokina flat cutter or a regular disc cutter will do. This operation will get rid of perennial weeds.
How to sow?
It is important not to miss the time frame for soil “ripening”. It should be warm, sufficiently moist, well structured and fertilized. Failure to fulfill at least one condition reduces the desired yield.
Sowing corn should be done after warming the soil to 10–15 degrees Celsius at a depth of 8–10 cm. This temperature is sufficient for seed germination. In this case, returning spring colds should be excluded.
The soil moisture should be sufficient: if the soil dries out, moisten the bed before sowing to the seeding depth (6–8 cm).
There are two ways to plant corn: in parallel rows or in holes. The first option requires less labor. Country gardening is carried out in small areas. Planting corn in holes is more common.
Planting pattern: 70x70 cm. In limited areas, it is permissible to reduce the distance to 40x40 cm. Maize must be placed in at least two rows: planting in one line will lead to insufficient pollination and the appearance of empty cobs.
Plant 2-3 seeds nearby. After germination, the strongest plant should be left. The rest need to be weeded out. This measure will avoid voids in the garden bed.
You can plant dry or germinated seeds. In the first case, the time from sowing to germination will be longer.Sprouts will be pleased with greenery faster. But the slightest cold snap will destroy tender plants.
Simultaneously with planting, you can apply mineral fertilizers. At a distance of 10 cm, parallel to the row, a trench should be made with a depth of 5–6 cm. The complex should be laid in it according to the norm indicated on the package. Cover with soil.
Growing through seedlings
In small gardens, corn can be grown through seedlings. This will shorten the growing season outside. The method is popular when growing crops in problem regions.
Planting corn seedlings has some subtleties:
- plants need to be hardened off first;
- seedlings are sensitive to soil moisture;
- for the first 3–5 days after planting, you should cover the bed from the sun with white lutrasil;
- the plant does not tolerate damage to the root system.
It is important to prevent the seedlings from stretching: excessive growth in insufficient light weakens the corn.
Rules of care
No crop grows without care. A gardener should know:
- Corn consumption of nitrogen and potassium lasts until the cobs are filled;
- It absorbs phosphorus before harvesting;
- the soil should be moderately moist, overwatering should be avoided;
- The maximum need for water in a plant is observed during the formation of cobs;
- loosening is required every 5–7 days.
You should take care of pollination: plant plants nearby that attract bees.
Some gardeners use the stretched planting method. The bulk of the maize is placed in a block on the bed. And after 3–4 days, several seeds are sown. Shoots appear several days apart.
The further growing season of corn also differs on the same days. Male and female flowers ripen at the same time. Stretched planting reduces pollination risks.
Good and evil neighbors
This crop produces good yields when replanted over corn. The advantages of this placement: the ridge remains free of weeds (the adult plant suppresses them), there is no need to look for a warm and illuminated area, and redevelopment of plantings is not required.
But to increase productivity, it is recommended to take into account predecessors. Good for corn are: legumes, melons. The plant feels bad after oats, rye, and wheat. Gardeners plant them as green manure. But cereals behave like aggressive weeds: the soil after them is heavily clogged.
Hardworking gardeners have found an interesting solution to saving summer cottage space. They plant corn in the same area as cucumbers, beans, beans and pumpkins. The hard stems of maize provide support for the vines and protect them from cold winds.
Pumpkins or zucchini placed between the rows of corn with wide leaf blades protect the soil from drying out. It has been noticed that the yield of corn grown in this way is higher than that of corn planted in the usual way.
