Corn rows - tips?

[seedcorn]

There is a reason corn spilled from a truck doesn’t come up vs wheat. You spill corn in the fall/winter where it germs & dies, rots and/or is eaten. Wheat, spilled in July so it germs and lives. Modern corn is much more hardier than older varieties.

 

[flowerbug]

There is a reason corn spilled from a truck doesn’t come up vs wheat. You spill corn in the fall/winter where it germs & dies, rots and/or is eaten. Wheat, spilled in July so it germs and lives. Modern corn is much more hardier than older varieties.

couple years ago one of the farmer wagons for hauling corn was leaking as they were going down the road so we had corn all along our normal walking route. the birds ignored it and it was there for a long time before it finally rotted. that struck me as so strange that the birds wouldn't even touch it (not being in its normal location or form perhaps? not sure). even the crows, bluejays, cardinals that would sometimes eat cracked corn without problems from feeders didn't clean it up through the fall and early winter.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I said what I said wrong. The cob thing is why you don't see permanent stands of feral corn. With wheat or another small grain, if the spill is big enough (and the animals don't get it all) it is possible to get places where the wheat just becomes another grass, self replicating (we had a patch near one of our highways that lasted 5 years, until they mowed it at the wrong time.) That just doesn't happen with corn. a loose corn kernel can germinate just fine on it's own, but unless something comes along to pull the ear apart, it's progeny are stuck.

 

[seedcorn]

On wild birds feeders (yes we feed the lazy bums) they throw out corn, milo, wheat and millet. They are after the “choice” grains as we taught them that once it’s empty, we will re-fill. So why eat grasses?

Corn kernels are large for some birds who do not have the ability to bite and chew. For hunters, there is a reason you hunt in and around corn fields, that’s where they are at feeding. Corn by itself will be eaten first by deer at silk shed, second by coons, skunks, squirrels after pollination, third by birds when ear worms hatch, fourth by deer, turkeys, squirrels if an ear is set. So random corn plants have little to no chance of reproducing.

 

[flowerbug]

I said what I said wrong. The cob thing is why you don't see permanent stands of feral corn. With wheat or another small grain, if the spill is big enough (and the animals don't get it all) it is possible to get places where the wheat just becomes another grass, self replicating (we had a patch near one of our highways that lasted 5 years, until they mowed it at the wrong time.) That just doesn't happen with corn. a loose corn kernel can germinate just fine on it's own, but unless something comes along to pull the ear apart, it's progeny are stuck.

there are perennial versions of wheat that people are working with. i know it doesn't give the same amount of grain as the more modern annual short versions but it could be a useful start for something more productive in time.

considering the soil losses from growing an annual wheat and then leaving the soil bare if i were in a more arid climate i'd consider giving it a try. as it is here with some of the grasses that show up and i'm always wanting them gone because they spread and get into everything i don't want them in i know they'd not compete with the honeysuckles or other larger plants, but they may work well in some other space.

the other thing i've wanted to research was growing wild rice. there are some places around here that have plenty of water or could be adapted... too many projects too little time...

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Plant beans and squash to help suppress the weeds.

Squash in with the corn?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Squash in with the corn?

Part of the three sisters, corn, beans and squash. The original Americans taught the colonists how to grow field corn (not sweet corn), winter squash (not summer squash) and dried pole beans (not snap bean or bush beans) together to compliment each other. The corn stalks gave pole beans something to climb on. The beans can set nitrogen into the ground from the air if certain microbes are present on the roots, and the squash acts as a living mulch, keeping weed growth down. They are all harvested in the fall so you are not in there tramping on the squash vines tying to harvest corn or beans. Not sure how far apart the corn would have to be planted to allow enough light in for the squash to grow.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Part of the three sisters, corn, beans and squash. The original Americans taught the colonists how to grow field corn (not sweet corn), winter squash (not summer squash) and dried pole beans (not snap bean or bush beans) together to compliment each other. The corn stalks gave pole beans something to climb on. The beans can set nitrogen into the ground from the air if certain microbes are present on the roots, and the squash acts as a living mulch, keeping weed growth down. They are all harvested in the fall so you are not in there tramping on the squash vines tying to harvest corn or beans. Not sure how far apart the corn would have to be planted to allow enough light in for the squash to grow.

I'm familiar with the bean and corn game, but the squash is new. I will absolutely try throwing some seeds in there, but I agree that the sun needs to hit those big green leaves, so that might mean just wider rows next year

Thanks for the tips!!!

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I'm familiar with the bean and corn game, but the squash is new. I will absolutely try throwing some seeds in there, but I agree that the sun needs to hit those big green leaves, so that might mean just wider rows next year

Thanks for the tips!!!

That's the thing. If you are doing Three Sisters, you don't do rows, you do hills (though the hills can be in rows). Each hill gets sown with some corn (I usually go with 5-10 kernels) some beans (3-5 of them is usually enough) and two or three squash seeds along with some fertilizer to get things going (if you want to go REALLY traditional, you bury a small fish along with the seeds). After they come up, you thin down to the healthiest corn (if there seems to be too many) Then it's simply a matter of making sure the beans reach the stalks and stay there. Hills are usually done about 1 foot apart.

 

[seedcorn]

An Amish used to plant his corn that way-in Hills. It’s called checkered so you can cultivate from all directions. 4 per hill. After pollination, they pull the tops and feed to cattle. Later it’s real cool as you see ears sticking out from all directions kind of like some sunflowers. Wish I would have taken pix....