7 Corn Growing Mistakes to Avoid

Growing corn is one of the most classic summer activities you can imagine in the garden...but it's oddly difficult to do successfully! We've made just about every mistake growing it you can imagine, so skip through failure by avoiding these 7 mistakes.

00:00 - Intro
00:31 - Not Planting Enough
01:11 - Spotty Germination
02:05 - Soil Preparation
02:46 - Improper Fertilization
03:31 - Watering
04:11 - Not Planting Deep Enough
04:56 - Untimely Harvesting
08:31 - Taste Test

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[rosesez]

My chickens benefited from my many corn mistakes and repaid me with eggs… so, it was gooood.

What little corn actually did grow well, was good too!

[julesgoh]

“Don’t be like that… don’t be like that…”. Love how you said it. Great advice Kevin! Wonderful encouragement not to waste food or overreact to a little damage to our produce🌽🌽🌽

[PaleGhost]

It's so hot this year, when I harvested my corn it came popped.

[originalwoolydragon]

You can hill corn, like you do potatoes, to anchor them into the ground better.

[lindseyc.blackwell]

I love that you are so generous, open, and nonjudgmental when it comes to sharing mistakes you've made. One, so we can all learn like you have, and two, so that you role model a chill easygoing attitude towards making mistakes in the garden. Like treating gardening as an experiment, you're gathering data about what does and doesn't work, and learning as you go. No reason to be ashamed or embarrassed! Just more to explore and get curious about.

[dwrecktheanimal]

Biting into raw corn is the most farmer thing I’ve ever seen and I love it

[babetteisinthegarden]

For the corn worms I put just a drop or two of mineral oil on the silks when they're turning brown

[stephaniehanuman-dale]

The squirrels love it when I grow corn🤣🌽 I hope to someday grow enough corn for my family and maybe the squirrels too🤗

[TheEbc]

Great video covering important points.

It’s worth mentioning that, like other crops, you can hand pollinate corn, you don’t have to rely solely on wind pollination (although that’s the easiest option). If you’re on a smaller can and have the time and attention, you can help out.

[DanaMite]

We tried to grow corn last year in a dry, sunny spot of our freshly burnt front yard (2020 Bear Fire), but failed to produce anything. After reading a bit on them being heavy feeders, my guys placed a small grouping to the side of our giant compose pile. They grew like weeds and the heat is near 93 daily. Water daily. Now the wind is knocking some over. I staked & tied up a few, so I hope we can get to harvest before Autumn. Super excited you made this video!!!

[vintagechalkboard]

I had a corn plant volunteer itself in my garden one year. I hand pollinated it and got good results. I broke off some of the pollen stems and brushed/ tapped them over the silks.

[that_auntceleste]

Every crop i plant gives me a meal or a lesson or both! My first corn crop this year was both. I'm going to do 3 things differently last year-- including harvest EARLIER! I waited too long and our corn got tough and not as sweet. Still fine boiled but not special.

I appreciate your videos!

[connorr]

Unless I’m missing something, corn being a grass doesn’t preclude it from being a grain- wheat, barley, oats, rye, and rice are all grasses and grains. I’m not an expert, but I think corn is as well

[mattv]

Corn worms seem gross, but they are less likely to harm you than the pesticides commercial growers might use to eliminate them.

[jenniferpayan]

I think its important to highlight that Mesoamerican cultures domesticated corn, a grass called teosinte over thousands of years. The cob was originally very small but over its evolution and years of human intervention it has grown extensively in size.

[bobbun]

Refreshing to see someone actually discuss transplanting corn. Most videos I have seen that touch on the subject insist it's a no-no. I have transplanted for years though. At least on a small scale it solves the spotty germination problem nicely, though I am more likely to have for different reasons than the one mentioned in the video: I'm definitely not in Southern California, and wet soils can lead to the seeds simply rotting in the soil. It's worse in the spring when the soil may not be completely warmed up, but it can be a problem even with later planting. Birds can also be an annoyance for getting a good stand of corn.

[neilscole]

When I was a kid and we had corn in the family garden, like almost every ear of corn had a corn worm and/or some undeveloped kernels at the top. The top got the chop and went to the compost pile. I suspect we didn't grow enough corn at a time and we grew it in rows, like pretty much the rest of our garden.

[GrizzCraftCustoms]

I agree in general about block planting, and do so almost every year- BUT this year on a whim I planted two plants each in three separate mounds (along with squash and beans), three different varieties of corn. I did this more for effect (was planning on buying my corn at a farmers market), not expecting good pollination- but providing visual interest. Not only did it all germinate & pollinate, but I averaged 4-5 fully pollenated and full-size ears of corn per plant. I was dumfounded.

[patcracker]

I ruined my first crop of corn by waiting too long (kernels were hard and tough), thank you for these tips as my second crop just started forming tassels.

[downunderfulla]

Great growing tips. Corn has always been a challenge for me but I’m understanding it better each season