Sweet Corn Question

[Mark W.]

I know this may be a better question in the crops discussion but figured I would get more response here. My buddy and I would like to plant a sweet corn patch for our families and maybe some neighbors. I we purchased 5 pounds of seed, about how big of an area would that fill with rows 36" wide approximately? Just curious of how big an area I would need to prep. Thanks.

 

[Gene Dotson]

I buy 2 varieties of 1/2 pound each. I plant 4 rows 90 feet long and always have plenty seed left. So your 5 pounds will plant at least 20 rows of this length, so you figure the area. Best to stagger plantings about a week apart so it doesn't ripen all at the same time, unless you want to make 1 harvest to can or freeze it in one operation. usually best to plant one early and one late maturing varieties.

Staggered planting also seems to give better pollination.

my 90 foot rows typically about 150 ears planted at 5 inch spacing.

Gene

 

[Mark W.]

Thank you Gene.

 

[Eldon (WA)]

(quoted from post at 11:45:57 01/15/15) I know this may be a better question in the crops discussion but figured I would get more response here. My buddy and I would like to plant a sweet corn patch for our families and maybe some neighbors. I we purchased 5 pounds of seed, about how big of an area would that fill with rows 36" wide approximately? Just curious of how big an area I would need to prep. Thanks.

I would guess around 2 acres. Don't plant too thick or you will have earless stalks. Two thin and weeds will be a problem. I usually plant thicker the first planting as I push the temperature and germination is poorer. I am able to do 7 plantings in a good year, I plant a new area when the last is about an inch tall....timing seems about right, but I sell roadside and need to extend my season as produce sales double when corn is available!

 

[L.Fure]

I used to plant 1/2 acre of sweet corn. I always used a verity of corn that was a sugary extender. That meant it would stay good on the stock for fourteen days, or longer after it was ripe. The verity names were kandy korn, bodacious, and ambrosia. The ambrosia was the multi-colored corn. (white and gold). A half acre would be plenty for three families to eat and freeze. I would plant the whole thing at once and we always had time to eat our fill, then freeze the rest. We even gave a lot of it away.

http://www.thevegetablegarden.info/vegetables/100-corn?start=2

 

[DLMKA]

How does everyone keep their sweetcorn patch cultivated and weeds from taking over too bad? I want to put out about a total of an acre of sweet corn this summer. I'm planning on running the tiller up and down rows.

 

[Eldon (WA)]

I have a special built cultivator on my little rear engine Allis Chalmers G cultivating tractor. Other than that, lots of hours with a hoe

 

[Eldon (WA)]

(quoted from post at 13:03:27 01/15/15) How does everyone keep their sweetcorn patch cultivated and weeds from taking over too bad? I want to put out about a total of an acre of sweet corn this summer. I'm planning on running the tiller up and down rows.

If you use a tiller, set it to go about an inch deep. There are a lot of corn spider roots close to the surface that you would be clipping off. Most people think tilling deep will take care of the weeds, but all you are doing is bringing up weed seed that was too deep to germinate.....and now it germinates! My little cultivator setup just goes about an inch deep, takes out the weeds and doesn't bring up new seed. I also cultivate on the hottest, driest days for a fast kill...too wet and the plants will re-root.

 

[Greg1959]

DLMKA- That's what I do. Watch out, once it gets
about shoulder high...pack saddles eat me up!

I try to plant at least an acre, sometimes two
acres, staggered planting times. This way I can
supply all the family and neighbors with all the
corn they want plus take about a pick-up load to
the food pantry every two weeks as the corn
ripens.

 

[David G]

I would buy about 2 pounds, and plant it in 4 stages 2 weeks apart. I think that should do about an acre total, others might know more exact.

 

[DLMKA]

If you use a tiller, set it to go about an inch deep. There are a lot of corn spider roots close to the surface that you would be clipping off.

That was the plan. I also have a Glaser wheel hoe with an 8" stirrup to get close to the rows. I'm watching for an Allis C or the like with a front mounted cultivator.

 

[Eldon (WA)]

(quoted from post at 14:28:14 01/15/15)

If you use a tiller, set it to go about an inch deep. There are a lot of corn spider roots close to the surface that you would be clipping off.

That was the plan. I also have a Glaser wheel hoe with an 8" stirrup to get close to the rows. I'm watching for an Allis C or the like with a front mounted cultivator.

I have a C and a set of cultivators laying out in the weeds....doesn't work in our soil. I like the G, but would like something a bit higher for the last trip through. I am working on my hi-crop WD single front wheel with vegetable cultivator...real nice clearance.

 

[glennster]

we plant syrgenta obsession 2 round up resistant
sweet corn in the headlands of the field corn.
works good, no cultivating.

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[glennster]

a phoey the link doesnt work.

 

[Curt Cooke]

I would think 5 lbs would do real close to 2 acres. Weeds, herbicide. I do cultivate (Farmall 140) but only to side dress a little nitrogen - and it looks nice.

 

[glennster]

one more time



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[OH Boy]

By my math that (90X3X20= 5,400 square feet)is about 1/8th of an acre.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

If you can till or disk several times before planting it'll keep weeds down,also plant immediately after disking to keep weeds from getting a head start on the corn.I cultivate with a
Hines H-1600 using disk hillers turn them away from the corn the first time its get right up to the corn.pulls the dirt away with the little weeds,2nd time I throw the dirt into the corn and it'll cover almost all the small weeds that have started to grown in the row.

 

[Eldon (WA)]

(quoted from post at 14:57:10 01/15/15) we plant syrgenta obsession 2 round up resistant
sweet corn in the headlands of the field corn.
works good, no cultivating.

No herbicides or GMO's here or we would lose customers. We have to plant more each year...our reputation for the best corn is spreading like wildfire.

 

[Eldon (WA)]

(quoted from post at 16:17:54 01/15/15) If you can till or disk several times before planting it'll keep weeds down,also plant immediately after disking to keep weeds from getting a head start on the corn.I cultivate with a
Hines H-1600 using disk hillers turn them away from the corn the first time its get right up to the corn.pulls the dirt away with the little weeds,2nd time I throw the dirt into the corn and it'll cover almost all the small weeds that have started to grown in the row.

My problem fields are the early ones because the weeds will beat the corn out of the ground. I also work the ground before each planting...plantings 3-7 are pretty easy fields.

 

[State of Jefferson]

My seed catalog says 30,000 seeds to the acre and An average seed count of 2500/lb= 12,500. So you'd have a bout a half acre. Seems kinda low to me. I'd guess closer to 1 acre for 5 lbs.

i have a Farmall Cub with cultivators, generally make 4 passes. First when the corn is about 2 inches, and the last pass it's bending over going under the front axle.

Ben

 

[GordoSD]

Glenster. My sweet corn looks like yours. Now look at Eldons. What are we doing wrong. One thing I suspect he is not into SU's

 

[casecollectorsc]

A bag of seed corn has 80,000 seeds per bag and plants about 2.6 acres at 30,000 seeds per acre. Small seeds weigh about 40# per bag. 40/2.6 acres= 15.3# per acre. Don't think your 5# will go very far.

 

[john in la]

Depends on what kind of sweet corn you are planting.
36" rows, with 10 inches between seeds, is about 17,000 plants per acre.
9 to 10 lbs of se or su seed would be needed per acre.
Supersweet corn has more seeds per pound so 5 to 6 lbs would be needed per acre.
This is based on 225 seeds per pound for supersweet and 150 seeds per pound for se and su.

 

[casecollectorsc]

Your numbers must be off as seed corn is over 1750 seed per pound.

 

[VicS]

100 X 217 is 1/2 acre should be about right. I would plant about 4 rows the long way as early as possible. I leave out one row. To run the golf cart sprayer down. Then in about 3 weeks plant again.4 rows and skipping 1. Also makes it easier to pick. The best sweet corn NOW is Round-up-ready. Seed is about $30 a pound. But it is worth it. No worms no weeds. Also makes keeping it clean easy. I have a 15 gal sprayer from Northern. It has one 15 ft spray tip. Can run it down the skipped row and keep the weeds down, even when the corn is 6 ft tall! Also leave room on the outside to run sprayer between boundary and corn. Generally plant the first in April if possible and last in July. Located in SE Il.

 

[farmboy48]

I planted one acre of sweet corn last spring, sprayed, cultivated watched closely all summer. Finally ready, went and picked a couple dozen ears, enjoyed them, went back 2 days later and all the rest was gone/destroyed by coons. Didn't get one more ear. How do you keep coons out??

Dick ND

 

[BarryfromIA]

I use an electric fence about 6 inches above the ground. It seems to really slow them down.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

Yea early corn can be a problem but some varieties come up and grow better in cool weather than others.Also disk hillers really work good hilling the corn and getting rid of weeds,the faster you can run with them the better they work.

 

[Eldon (WA)]

(quoted from post at 06:12:10 01/16/15) Yea early corn can be a problem but some varieties come up and grow better in cool weather than others.Also disk hillers really work good hilling the corn and getting rid of weeds,the faster you can run with them the better they work.

I might try the disk hillers, I think I have a couple laying around here. I list my corn, so the hillers would probably work even better...kind of like the go-devil we used way back when.

 

[L and K Farms]

What is your seed size, ie how many seeds per pound. that will tell you how many seeds you have. Then plant at a seed spacing of 8.5 to 9 inch seed spacing that will give you a planting rate of 24,500 23,000 plants per acres. Those are approximate planting rates that we use in commercial production for a canning company.

 

[L.Fure]

(quoted from post at 18:01:34 01/16/15) What is your seed size, ie how many seeds per pound. that will tell you how many seeds you have. Then plant at a seed spacing of 8.5 to 9 inch seed spacing that will give you a planting rate of 24,500 23,000 plants per acres. Those are approximate planting rates that we use in commercial production for a canning company.

That's a good point. Sweet corn can't be crowded like today's field corn can. I used to plant my sweet corn at a rate that was used in the 1950's-60's. You'll get larger ears this way.

 

[GordoSD]

What variety of corn is that?

 

[tim(in)]

Boy that field right next to suburbanits gives me the heebie jeebies. lol Have any trouble with them dumping,trespassing?

 

[T in NE]

Yours is on the edge of the field. His picture is in the middle.