How to Grow Sweet Corn and Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor (Before the Raccoons Do!)
Sweet corn is the undisputed star of summer gardens—easy to grow, deliciously sweet, and perfect for barbecues. In New England, sweet corn is king, taking up nearly half of the vegetable acreage among market gardeners. And if you're a home gardener, expect about one to two ears per plant (and maybe a few more if you keep the wildlife at bay).
Varieties & Types: Choosing Your Corn Personality
Sweet corn comes in three color personalities:
- All yellow (classic, sunshine in cob form)
- All white (elegant and fancy)
- Bicolor (the life of the party, a mix of yellow and white)
Bicolor varieties are the most popular in New England, but all types can taste fantastic—flavor depends on variety, growing conditions, and how fast you can get it from the stalk to your mouth.
Now, let’s talk about the sweetness scale:
- Sugary (su): The old-school variety. Sweet when harvested but turns starchy faster than your grandma’s mashed potatoes.
- Sugary-enhanced (se or se+): Holds onto sweetness longer and gives you some wiggle room if you forget to pick it on time.
- Super-sweet (sh2): The sugar overload. Stays sweet much longer, but beware—if it cross-pollinates with other types, the quality of both suffers. Keep these isolated by distance, windbreaks, or staggering planting times.
Growing Conditions: A Corny Love Story with the Sun
Sweet corn thrives in full sun. It’s a sun worshiper, so don’t even think about planting it in the shade. Soil temperature should be at least 50°F for germination (60-85°F is ideal). If your soil is colder than that, you’re basically tucking your seeds into a chilly bed, and they’re going to sulk.
Transplanting corn is possible, but don’t let the seedlings get rootbound. They should be transplanted outdoors within 10-14 days of sprouting.
Soil preferences? Corn is picky but manageable:
- Well-drained, fertile soil (pH 6.0-6.8)
- Light soil (sand/loam) for early corn—warms up faster
- Heavy soil (silt/clay) for later corn—holds moisture better in summer’s heat
Watering Tip: Corn is like a thirsty teenager—it needs water, especially two weeks before the silks appear. Aim for 1 inch of water per week.
Planting: Because Corn Doesn’t Believe in Personal Space
Corn is pollinated by wind, so planting it in single rows is like setting up a lonely corn club with no members. Instead, plant in blocks (short rows grouped together) to improve pollination.
- Row spacing: 2.5 - 3 feet apart
- Plant spacing: 8-10 inches apart
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Planting depth:
- Early plantings: 1 inch deep
- Later plantings: 1-2 inches deep (for better moisture contact)
For a continuous corn buffet all summer:
- Plant a small amount every 7-10 days
- OR plant multiple varieties with staggered maturity dates
Fertilization: Feed Me, Seymour!
Corn is a heavy feeder (shocker, right?). Get your soil tested and mix in aged manure or compost the fall before planting.
Standard feeding plan:
- Before planting: About 25 lbs of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 1,000 sq. ft.
- Mid-season boost: When corn is 15-18 inches high, side-dress with nitrogen (about 2.5 lbs of a 10% nitrogen fertilizer per 100 feet of row). Spread it out between rows and lightly mix it into the soil.
Pest Management: Defending Your Corn from Uninvited Guests
Weeds:
Corn hates competition. Broadleaf weeds (lambsquarter, pigweed) and grasses (quackgrass, crabgrass) will bully your corn if left unchecked. Options:
- Black plastic mulch: Lay it before planting, poke holes, plant corn, done.
- Straw mulch: Apply when plants are 4-5 inches high.
- Shallow hoeing: Kill weeds while they’re small—corn’s roots are shallow and don’t like deep digging.
Insects:
- European Corn Borer & Corn Earworm: These jerks attack in mid-summer. If you’re lucky, you won’t see them, but if they arrive, integrated pest management is your best bet (traps, biological controls, or targeted insecticides).
Diseases:
- Corn is mostly disease-resistant, but sometimes you’ll find corn smut—a gray-black fungus that turns ears into alien blobs. Just cut off the infected part and dispose of it. Some folks even eat it as a delicacy (but that’s between you and your adventurous palate).
Animals:
- Crows & Birds: Love pulling up sprouting corn. Use row covers secured with rocks or pins for the first few weeks.
- Raccoons: The ultimate corn thieves. They show up right when your corn is ripe and throw a backyard party. An electric fence (6” and 12” high) turned on before the corn ripens works wonders.
Harvesting & Storage: Don’t Let the Sugar Slip Away
Sweet corn is ready when:
- Ears are plump
- Silks have turned brown and started to dry up
- Kernels squirt a milky liquid when pressed (if they’re watery, wait; if they’re doughy, you’re late!)
Timing Matters!
- Harvest in the cool morning or evening (not the blazing heat of midday).
- The faster you chill it, the sweeter it stays—sweetness declines rapidly at high temperatures.
- 70°F storage: Sugar loss is 10x faster than at 32°F.
- Translation: If you want the best flavor, get it into the fridge ASAP!
Final Thoughts: Grow It, Guard It, and Enjoy It!
Growing sweet corn is a bit like hosting a backyard concert—it’s fun, it draws a crowd, and if you don’t take precautions, the raccoons will crash the party. But with the right variety, good soil, proper watering, and a little luck, you’ll have fresh, sweet corn straight from your garden all summer long. Just don’t forget the butter!