News Article for February 25, 2008:
Sweet corn is traditionally planted early in the growing season to help avoid the insect pressure.
Corn can withstand a little frost so the planting dates are listed as 7 days prior to the last frost date. Of course no one knows exactly when the last frost will occur so proceed with caution.
If you have not put down your fertilizer, do that as soon as it is dry enough. Use 6 to 7 pounds of 8-24-24 per 100 feet of row preplant. Sidedress the corn with 1 pound of ammonium nitrate per 100 feed of row when the corn is 12 inches tall and again when it is 24 inches.
Plant at least three rows of sweet corn side by side. This will ensure that sufficient pollination will occur to obtain well filled ears. It takes 3 ounces of seed per 100 feet of row at a spacing of 10-12 inches between plants.
Recommended early-maturing variety is Seneca Horizon. Mid-season varieties are Merit, Funk’s G90 and Gold Queen. Late-season varieties are Silver Queen (white), Iochief, NK199 and Gold Cross Bantam.
To get some really sweet corn, try some of the super sweet and enhanced varieties. They are sweeter than regular sweet corn and hold their sweetness longer than standard varieties.
Super sweets need to be isolated from field corn or regular sweet corn, since they lose some of their sweetness when pollinated by the other types. They do not germinate well in cool soil, so wait until the soil has warmed considerable before planting.
The early super sweet varieties would include Platinum Lady, Sweet Ice, Bodacious, Sweet Riser, Dazzle, Lancelot and Precious Gem. Midseason varieties are Argent, Snowbelle, Summer Sweet (8101, 7630Y, 7210, 8102), Crisp N Sweet 711, Incredible, Prime Plus, Big Time, Sweet Chorus and Sweet Rhythum. Late or long season varieties are Even Sweeter, Pegasus, Tahoe, Honey Select and Silver King.
For more information on these or related topics, contact Kenny at 686-3020.