Growing Great Corn: Checklist

Sun: 8 hours or more. No negotiation.

Wait for warmth: plant once soil reaches 60°F (16°C); 65°F (18°C) for supersweet types.  Do not plant in cool soil or seeds will rot.  Best to cover the ground in clear plastic to warm the soil in spring.

Plant in blocks: at least 4 short rows, not one long row. Corn is wind-pollinated, and a single row gives half-empty ears.

pH:  prefers acidic soil:  5.8 to 6.6.  Do not add wood ash.

Spacing: 8 to 12 inches apart, rows 30 to 36 inches apart.

Feed: heavy nitrogen feeder. Side-dress when plants are knee-high.

Water: about 1 inch a week, and never let it dry out when tassels and silks appear. That's when ears fill.

Keep types apart: supersweet corn crossed with other types loses its sweetness. Separate by distance or planting date.

Harvest: when silks are brown and a punctured kernel squirts milky juice. Pick and eat the same day if you can.

Rotate: 3 years.