Sweetcorn from the garden

Sweetcorn / Maize in the garden - this is how to grow it

Maize is an old crop from Mexico and is related to the other cereals, but grows up to 3 metres tall. It is therefore well suited as a screen in the garden or in mixed cultivation to shade smaller plants such as pumpkins, cucumbers or bush beans. It can be used as a climbing aid for runner beans.
Today, maize is still the most important cereal worldwide, ahead of wheat and rice. The Association for the Preservation of Crop Diversity in Germany has declared it Vegetable of the Year 2021/22. Depending on how it is used, a distinction is made between hard maize, waxy maize, puffed maize, starch maize, sweetcorn and spelt maize. For the hobby gardener, sweetcorn puffed maize are the most suitable.

Location

Sweet corn basically needs a full-sun, warm location with a nutrient-rich, humus-rich soil. However, there are thousands of cultivars with different requirements. Through breeding, there are now some varieties that have greater cold tolerance.

Sowing

Before sowing, the soil should be enriched with compost or some fertiliser. Sowing should only take place when the soil temperature is permanently above 8°C (approx. middle/end of May). As it is very heat-loving, it is helpful to grow it from mid-April in a cold frame or on a windowsill. In the field, maize is sown in single grains about 2 - 3 cm deep with 10 cm spacing in rows with 60 cm spacing. It should not be too dense, but also not too scattered in the garden. As it is wind-pollinated, the planting distance must not be too large.
Maize can also be grown on the same area for several years.

Care

As maize is a high nutrient-demanding plant, you should regularly add compost or fertiliser to the soil. Water regularly, but not sparingly. During flowering and cob development, maize needs more water. Even though it is relatively drought-resistant, the following applies: when the leaves curl up, it is too dry.

Favourable neighbouring plants for sweetcorn are potatoes, cucumbers, beans, peas, lettuce, courgettes and tomatoes. It is not recommended to grow celery, chard or beetroot directly next to maize.

Harvest

Depending on the variety, harvesting can take place from August to October. Since sweet corn is harvested unripe, it can be harvested as early as July. This can be recognised by the whitish juice that comes out when a kernel is scratched. The husk leaves are still green. All other varieties are harvested when the cobs are ripe and hard. By then, the leaves will also have turned brown.