

A preplant application of a general-purpose fertilizer (10-10-10) can be applied at 25 lbs per 1000 sq ft. Ideally, it is best to apply nitrogen in split applications.

Sweet corn does not tolerate cooler temperatures, so it is best to wait until soil temperatures have reached at least 60F (2 inch depth).Ĭorn is a nitrogen loving plant, so it is important to apply nitrogen for healthy growth. The recommended spacing for planting sweet corn is 8 to 12 inches apart in rows 2.5 to 3 feet apart with seeds being planted about 1 to 2 inches deep. Without pollination, corn kernels will not develop on the ear. When planting sweet corn, it should be planted in a block formation rather than a single, long row to allow for the plants to be closer together for adequate pollination. Depending on your sweet tooth, you have some options for sweetness level. Sweet corn is sweeter than field corn due to a “sugary (su) gene” sugary enhanced (se) and supersweet (sh2) varieties are also available, and to make the deal even sweeter, there are varieties with a combination of two and even three of the sugary genes synergistic (sy) and augmented supersweet (shA). Come to find out you don’t plant sweet corn exactly the same as field corn.

I planted the seeds as if I was raising 350 bushel field corn (who doesn’t want lots of sweet corn?) which resulted in lodged sweet corn plants. Having 8+ years of experience with growing field corn and a master’s degree in crop science, I thought I knew all there was to planting sweet corn however, my first time planting it was a flop.
