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 16°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 20 - 30 cm 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

08 Oct 11, Vanese (Australia - temperate climate)
When it says avoid growing with say tomatoes....how far away do you have to be? I have a small garden. Thank you
12 May 11, Barbara Campbell (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have just pulled my sweet corn plants out, and I am wondering what would be the best vegetable to plant in that spot.
19 Oct 12, Ferry (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
corn sucks minerals from the soil so beans, peas or a green manure crop would be good for the soil.
13 Jan 11, FRANK (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The best advice about sweetcorn and its growth is to plant seeds,add plenty of compost,well aged manure and or blood/bone and be generous with these, water well if rain is limited. Also add grass clippings or lucerne as a mulch.
11 Jan 11, Charis (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm a first time grower, our corn plants were growing so well, but once the actual corn started growing it stayed small, the silk went brown and everything seems to be dying, we have had a lot of rain this summer, could that be a problem? We were really looking forward to harvest and the kids and hubby are so disapointed. Is it too late to try again? or wait till next time? Is corn meant to be easy to take care of?
11 Jan 11, Russell (Australia - temperate climate)
My corn has turned out realy well, I have got 2 cobs off each plant, do the plants re- shoot or do I pull them out and plant new seedlings
26 Nov 10, Pru (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I found out the hard way that transplanting seedlings is not worth it. They were pale and stopped growing. A month later I planted seed next to the seedlings and now the seed I planted is as bigger and looking healthier than the transplanted seedlings. The transplanted seedlings still look sickly pale. I'm going to pull them out. If the cobs are not forming properly, this means that pollination was not completely successful.
23 Nov 10, Bev Joannou (Australia - temperate climate)
My corn is about 4' high and the leaves have opened up to reveal the immature green corn cob, it isn't encased in it's protective leaves, what is going wrong?
24 Nov 10, Sri (Australia - temperate climate)
Can you give us a bit more info plz. Need to know how long they have been in and where u sourced the seeds/seedlings from because it sounds like either wood beetles have stripped your corn (very rare) or the seeds are for ornamental corn one way or another if it were me i would pull them up and start again. For temperate climate now is the ideal time to start your corn.
30 Nov 10, Bev Joannou (Australia - temperate climate)
I planted the kernals in trays in September and transplanted them in the garden in October, the seeds I used were a Digger's Heirloom variety. Yes I will pull them out and start again, thank you for your advice.
Showing 231 - 240 of 321 comments

Corn should be planted in blocks, that is 2-3 or more rows for pollination reasons. It is probably up to you - do you want say 20 x 30mm+ pots. When plants are 1.2-1.8m high they can blow over in the wind.

- Anonymous

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