Growing Sweet corn, also corn,maize

Zea mays, var. rugosa : Poaceae / the grass family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                S S S S
T                 T T T
                P P P  

(Best months for growing Sweet corn in Australia - temperate regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed

September: sow after risk of frost

  • Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 61°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 8 - 12 inches apart
  • Harvest in 11-14 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): All beans, cucumber, melons, peas, pumpkin, squash, amaranth
  • Avoid growing close to: Celery.

Your comments and tips

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07 Oct 13, Lilian (Australia - tropical climate)
i do grow African sweet corn.great.can cook corn and bean, koki corn. Oh home sweet home that i missed
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18 Sep 13, Jack (USA - Zone 2a climate)
why cant you grow corn with celery
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16 Jul 13, northy (Australia - tropical climate)
try gently tapping the corn stalks with a broom handle in the middle of the day to allow pollen to drop over the plant.. i do this everyday while the corn is flowering and i get excellent results
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20 May 13, Rebecca (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi, I planted corn 4 weeks ago. They are now seedlings, but all these ants have taken up to living inside them. Also, there is a jumping, ant sized insect in there as well. I am worried that the insect will eat the flowers. Any info/ideas?
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25 Feb 13, Justine (Australia - temperate climate)
Would someone please advise if I should cut the top out of my corn? It is over 6 feet tall and I am worried the growth is going in height and not into the cobs? I live in Tassie and have had a hot summer for us this year. I have mulched in sugar cane and the corn has thrived from this...
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18 Apr 13, Richard (Australia - temperate climate)
Don't cut the tops off. That's the male part of the plant and drops pollen usually before the female silks on the same plant are ready. Most of the growth in corn occurs before the male part springs out and cutting it off doesn't help.
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02 Feb 13, Tink (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
My husband has grown corn for the first time this year. He planted seedlings from a giant hardware chain. I don't know the variety. The stalks are short but the corn cobs are full and beautiful and not too dry or flowery - perfect except they're not very 'sweet'. Are we being impatient & it needs more time? Or is this a lack of heat, nutrient or something else? Thanks!
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24 Jan 13, ben black (Australia - tropical climate)
i have recently planted my crop of sweet corn here in bundaberg it was planted about 6 weeks ago and already stand about 7 to 8 feat tall and have 3 to 4 cobs per plant i dont know why but they do would like to know why
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17 Aug 13, Ferran (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
my sweet corn last year had a mixture of 1-3 cobs per plant. its normal having more than 1 cob per plant but i found that they did not produce as much as one cob per plant and snaped of the smaller ones so as to get a better havest. I found that it had to do with how close they were together. my veriety worked best with 16 stalks per meatre square. bit late and i hope your havest went well. As for the reason, just like when you grow pumpcin you can have several friuts on a vine or one the plant puts its energy equally in to however many friuts there are. when there is only one it gets much bigger than when there are multipual pumpcins however you get more pumpcins if you let them grow multipual ones per vine. some verietys just natraly have more or less friuts per vine and you as the gardener get to chose how many the plant grows or how big they can get.
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15 Jan 13, Patrick (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
What should be done with laterals on the main stalk? Will I leave them on to allow additional corn to grow on them or does leaving them on the main stalk deprive the main stalk from food?
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Showing 201 - 210 of 328 comments
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Perth: This impressive crop does take up a bit of room but it's well worth it; the sweetness of fresh picked home-grown sweet corn is hard to beat. Plant from September through to January. Preparing the site Choose a sunny site that’s protected from strong winds. Sweet corn is a hungry crop so it’s important to enrich your soil before planting. Add a plenty of aged manure and a handful of blood & bone per square metre and fork it in well. Sweet corn will do well in a bed that’s previously grown healthy peas or beans. In the right conditions, each plant will usually produce 2 ears of corn. Planting Plant seedlings or seeds (ensure seeds are fresh). Space 30cm apart and plant in blocks rather than a single long row. Planting in blocks assists pollination which is essential for the development of kernels. Plant early and late varieties in separate blocks for a longer season. Water seeds well after planting then sparingly until germination occurs as the seeds can rot easily. When the stalks are about 20cm high, mound the soil up against the stalks. This process, called hilling, encourages more roots to grow which will help stabilise the plant during windy conditions. You can also achieve the same result by planting the seeds in a furrow and backfilling as the plants grow. Watering and fertilising Once the plants are well underway it’s important to ensure an adequate moisture level, especially since the plants will be at their peak of fruit production over the hot months. Drip irrigate if possible and mulch well to retain moisture. As soon as the tassel appears at the top of the plant, give the soil a boost with a granular fertiliser that’s high in nitrogen. Insufficient pollination results in ears of corn with lots of missing kernels. Planting sweet corn in one long single row can result in most of the pollen being blown away, which is why gardeners plant corn in blocks instead.Can be hand pollinated by cutting off a pollen-laden tassel each day and gently brushing over the silks . Sweet corn is ready to pick 2-3 weeks after pollination and it's important to keep up the water during this time.

- Mike

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