corn in raised beds....please help

[feldon30]

Stowell's is an older sweet corn variety (I personally grow Ambrosia) but it grows tightly wrapped husks and rarely gets worms.

http://www.slowfoodri.org/2009/04/01...ls-sweet-corn/

I've found it helps to remember that corn is really an incredibly tall cultivated grass.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by aimeruni

Thank you for all the replies to the thread and for all the advice.

I looked at one of the videos given (this one, link posted below):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgri...ature=youtu.be

and it said they did 7" plant spacing in rows per plant; the ears were decent size according to the video.

So, could I do 8" spacing per plant if I did 30" spacing between rows could I do this or would it be overcrowding the bed?

If I did 30" spacing between rows with an 8" spacing between plants in the rows, how many ears would this be total for a 4' x 8' bed? Sorry I'm really bad at math.

Some of the stuff the guy was talking about was the ability to harvest the corn mechanically with combines and also running tractors in the field and available equipment.
This you dont have to worry about nor do you have to walk between the rows as was stated before.

In all honesty I would go with more of a square foot approach to it in the raised bed with more or less 2 plants per square foot.

By doing this I would space the plants 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart.

This will give you 60 plants in a 4X8 bed with the plants 6 inches from the edge and ends.

Depending on what variety of corn you grow will determine how many ears you get per plant.
At the least it will be 60 ears and on average it would be 120 ears.
The other ting you can do they dont have the option to do in a big field is to shake the stalks when they are potting out pollen.

Also if you haven't looked at the other video play close attention to how deep to plant the seeds.
I have seen them planted to shallow before and the plants fall over.

Feldon stated about the fertilizer.
Corn is a grass and it needs to be treated as such with a high nitrogen fertilizer and lots of it.
Bagging the ears is also a good idea after they have pollinated.
Each silk on an ear of corn goes to an individual grain inside the corn.
This is why you sometimes see a dead spot or row on a ear of corn.
Those silks didn't pollinate.
Last but not least here is a pictuer of you raised bed with the corn layout in it.
Worth
Corn spacingr.jpg

[ddsack]

Originally Posted by rhines81

To further the above comment, even though I probably shouldn't ... plants need nutrients, light and water. If you crowd them to a point where they are deprived the light, then you will definitely have issues. You cannot crowd them to the point of not having nutrients or water ... this is up to the gardener to provide (a crowded bed needs sufficient nutrients and water per plant not per area). There is also consideration to root growth, but if you are providing the water and nutrients in sufficient quantities, then the roots do not necessarily have to sprawl and dominate. It's a trade-off. Feed the plant, not the space. Light deprivation is a major consideration for not overcrowding too much though.
I welcome discussion to the contrary on this ... I am definitely not an expert and willing to listen to other opinions!

Light is definitely a factor when trying to crowd into raised beds. I grow in 12x4 foot raised beds, with about 3 feet aisle space between beds. I have dropped down to only three rows in each bed, one down the center and the other two 6 inches from the sides. I oversow, and thin to 9-12 inches between seedlings. Every year, the best production is from the outer rows, the centermost inner plants, which get the most pollen, also get the most shade, and are lankier and weaker and have fewer, smaller ears. The only way to explain this is lack of full sunlight due to shade from overcrowding, because the center of the beds would tend to be where the moisture and fertilizer would pool, but that doesn't compensate for lack of direct sun. My husband is always nagging me to thin more. I have five beds dedicated to corn (usually Ambrosia, staggered in 3 plantings of about 10-14 days apart) I alternate years of corn beds with 5 beds of tomatoes fronted with beans grown on the other side of the garden. In an average year, I freeze about 50 pints of corn, along with all we can eat fresh for the two of us.




The other problem from lack of enough light is your cornstalks are weaker and more apt to keel over if you have heavy wind and rain, which makes an ugly mess in raised beds. We get a lot of wind, so I have learned to put a steel post at the corner of each bed, and run a rope around each bed as the corn plants get high enough to be bothered. They still will be tipped in wet ground, but at least they won't go down, and the aisles between are kept clear.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by ddsack

Light is definitely a factor when trying to crowd into raised beds. I grow in 12x4 foot raised beds, with about 3 feet aisle space between beds. I have dropped down to only three rows in each bed, one down the center and the other two 6 inches from the sides. I oversow, and thin to 9-12 inches between seedlings. Every year, the best production is from the outer rows, the centermost inner plants, which get the most pollen, also get the most shade, and are lankier and weaker and have fewer, smaller ears. The only way to explain this is lack of full sunlight due to shade from overcrowding, because the center of the beds would tend to be where the moisture and fertilizer would pool, but that doesn't compensate for lack of direct sun. My husband is always nagging me to thin more. I have five beds dedicated to corn (usually Ambrosia, staggered in 3 plantings of about 10-14 days apart) I alternate years of corn beds with 5 beds of tomatoes fronted with beans grown on the other side of the garden. In an average year, I freeze about 50 pints of corn, along with all we can eat fresh for the two of us.

My rows in the past have run east-west in my 5x10 corn bed. This year I am going to do multiple short rows north-south to allow for more of a light-break between. Also last year I tried a different corn than normal and it only produced 2 ears per plant. Normally I get 3-4 ears so I am switching back.

Originally Posted by ddsack

The other problem from lack of enough light is your cornstalks are weaker and more apt to keel over if you have heavy wind and rain, which makes an ugly mess in raised beds. We get a lot of wind, so I have learned to put a steel post at the corner of each bed, and run a rope around each bed as the corn plants get high enough to be bothered. They still will be tipped in wet ground, but at least they won't go down, and the aisles between are kept clear.

I weave my corn with twine from corner posts once when it is 18" and another when it is about 36" tall. This keeps the corn from tipping in high winds. Raised bed gardening is always different from field gardening in one way or another.

[Worth1]

One thing we must consider is what zone we live in when growing corn or anything else.
You can get away with a lot more due to the strength and angle of the sun down here.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Attachment 56720

Yes, this will work fine, I just like to separate the distance a little more. Ilike tight double rows with a little more space in between the row (about double what you show).
It would probably also help more to plant the back row(s) earlier so that it matures slightly faster (assuming the rows are is east-west).

But then again I did go 5' wide with my bed, instead of 4', to give the additional space and do not need to bother to reach toward the center because it is empty.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by rhines81

Yes, this will work fine, I just like to separate the distance a little more. Ilike tight double rows with a little more space in between the row (about double what you show).
It would probably also help more to plant the back row(s) earlier so that it matures slightly faster (assuming the rows are is east-west).

But then again I did go 5' wide with my bed, instead of 4', to give the additional space and do not need to bother to reach toward the center because it is empty.

Mine are 5 feet wide also and way up high.
I am going to leave one foot right down the middle with a board there to walk on.

Now this thread has got me wanting to plant corn some place.
But not the beds they are for Okra.

Worth.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by Worth1

But not the beds they are for Okra.

Worth.

Don't get me started on the Okra.
Last year I had to plant out so late that the started okra I had already withered in their pots. This year will be different and I am determined to grow it again.
I love that stuff.

[joseph]

Originally Posted by ddsack

I grow in 12x4 foot raised beds, with about 3 feet aisle space between beds. I have dropped down to only three rows in each bed, one down the center and the other two 6 inches from the sides. I oversow, and thin to 9-12 inches between seedlings.

I believe that to be the best guidance that I have read on this thread.

[Keen101]

I normally space my corn 1' or 12" apart. But i grow in organic conditions i guess you'd say with less than ideal soil. I really would never plant corn any closer than that and honestly i suspect my corn is too close at that spacing. Never tried 2' spacing, but i really think my corn would do better under those conditions. But everyone's soil and conditions are different. Do what you feel is best.

In a raised bed i would also second the advice to plant three rows with the outer rows 6" from the edge and the middle row 12" from either side row.

[Marcus1]

I agree with ddsack on the spacing. For those with dryer climates that have to water, once the plants are up don't over water. Let it go till the plants start to turn blue, this will make the roots go deeper and the plant less likely to fall over. The most critical time for water is when you see the first tassel starting to poke out. Another suggestion is to remove any suckers that form at the base of the plant they serve no real purpose.
Good luck
Marcus

[rockman]

The suckers supply the plant with moisture in a drought. When plenty of rain you may get bonus ears. Back when, farm fields were full of suckers, now none around

[armidapaul]

I too had an almost same doubt while thinking about having a raised bed. According to the experts from “In the backyard, raised garden bed experts” in Canada (I got their help), It’s good for corns to plant them in blocks as it helps for pollination purposes and should be planted about 12 inches apart. For dwarf varieties like Early Alaska in a fertile organic soil, you could make a crop at 4 plants per square foot. For other crops, such as bush beans and other low-growing vegetables, a minimum standard distance is needed so as not to crowd each other out and deplete the soil too quickly of the nutrients they all need.