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How to Grow Sweet Corn from Seed

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This guide teaches home gardeners how to successfully grow sweet corn from seed. You will learn how to prepare the soil with fertilizer, time your planting for optimal warmth, and arrange your seeds in a block pattern for the best pollination.

Safety Warnings

  • Corn is an uncommon allergen for some individuals.
  • Corn cobs can be a choking hazard for small children and wild animals.

Tools Needed

Garden spade — Standard handheld for digging planting holes
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Watering can — Large capacity for deep soil moisturizing
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Materials

Sweet corn seeds — Choice of sugary, sugary enhanced, shrunken-2, synergistic, or augmented supersweet varieties(2-3 seeds per hole)
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General-purpose fertilizer — 10-10-10 nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium blend(3-4 lbs per 100 square feet)
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Mulch mixture — Organic material to prevent evaporation(As needed for soil surface)
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Steps

1
Prepare the soil by working general-purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer evenly into the top 2 to 3 inches of the soil before seeding. Ensure the location is in full sun, receiving at least 6 to 8 hours of light per day, with well-draining soil and a pH between 5.8 and 7.0.
2
Time your planting for after the middle of May, ensuring the area has been frost-free for 2 to 3 weeks and soil temperature is at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
3
Create planting holes 1 inch deep, spaced 7 to 12 inches apart. Arrange these holes in a square or block pattern of several short rows rather than one long row to facilitate wind pollination.
7-12" dig 1" deep Block pattern Garden spade Top view: Plant in blocks rather than long rows to improve wind pollination.
4
Place two or three seeds in each hole, cover with soil, and water immediately.
5
Water the plants to provide at least 1 inch of water per week during warm growth periods. Water in the morning and moisten the soil 8 to 12 inches deep to reach deeper roots; apply mulch on top to retain moisture.
6
Monitor plant health. If leaves turn light yellow, apply more nitrogen; if edges turn purple, provide more phosphorus. A side-dressing of fertilizer can be applied when plants are 12 inches tall, keeping fertilizer 3 to 4 inches away from the stalk to avoid root burn.
3-4" Corn stalk Fertilizer apply side-dress Side-dress fertilizer 3-4 inches from stalk to avoid root burn
7
Harvest the corn 15 to 23 days after the silks appear. Perform a puncture test by pressing a fingernail into a kernel; if it leaks a milky liquid, it is ready. Harvest in the cool of early morning or evening to minimize sugar loss.

Pro Tips

  • To prevent seed rot, use high-quality seeds and plant only when temperatures are above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • If growing in containers, use a pot at least 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide with drainage holes.

When to Call a Professional

If corn earworms or smut affect your crop year after year, consult your local extension office for variety recommendations.

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