If you are planning on planting some corn in your garden and you want to be able to harvest the same kind of crop year after year, your best bet is to go with the heirloom sweet corn. The reason for this is that you can use the seeds from this crop for the next season whereas with the hybrid seeds you are not able to do this. Below, find directions how to plant and care for your crop until harvest.
You will first need to locate what is the northern part of your garden and mark off the size that you are going to need for your crop. You do it in this manner in case you plan on growing other vegetables in the same area. This way the shade of the stalks are not going to interfere with the growth of your other items in your garden.
When you have done this take a shovel and dig up the entire area to about 1 foot deep. Then take some compost you have prepared and put it about two inches deep all over the area. Work your compost into your dirt to about two inches down and then smooth it over with your shovel and finally a rake.
Take a hoe and put it’s point into the dirt at the northwestern section of the garden and then create a line with your hoe that should be about 3 inches in depth and pull it eastward. Let the dirt fall on the inside of the row. Make another line that is about 8 to 12 inches that is going the same direction as the first line and take it south. This will be your first row, continue to add your rows in this fashion giving your rows moats on each side. Make sure you leave about two feet between each of the rows.
Take your finger and poke holes into every row. Make sure they are about an inch deep and are anywhere from four to six inches apart. Take your seeds and put one seed into each hole. Then cover the seeds with some soil and smooth it out gently.
After you have planted all of your seeds you should take your hose with a misting nozzle on it and carefully wet down the rows with a fine mist of water. Don’t spray hard enough that the seeds will be uncovered. You should spray your corn rows as often as you have to in order to keep your soil nice and moist. It all depends upon the weather in your area.
When the corn begins to sprout you can remove the nozzle from your hose and start watering your crop in the moats on each side of the rows. This needs to be done at least once a day and more times than that if you live in an extremely dry and arid area.
Make sure that you use an organic fertilizer that is an all purpose one around two weeks after you first planted your crop. You will then need to add more around every 2 to 3 weeks after that first time. You should continue to do this until it’s time to harvest your crop. You know it’s ready to harvest when your ears are completely full. This is about 20 days or so after you first see the silk.
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