Page 4-Grower and Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 20, 2000
It Takes Just A Kernel Of Skill To Grow Great Sweet Corn
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.) Driving
around Pennsylvania’s back
roads to find the perfect ear
of sweet corn practically
qualifies as a state sport, but
a vegetable expert in Penn
State’s College of Agricul
tural Sciences said backyard
gardeners also can grow
sweet and tasty ears without
much trouble.
“Many sweet corn varieties
are resistant to most major
corn diseases,” said Pete Fer
retti, professor of vegetable
crops. “Also, in a backyard
garden you can walk through
the corn and pick off pests.
Most corn pests are more in
terested in acres of corn than
they are a garden plot.”
Ferretti said
Pennsylvania’s tem
perate climate is
perfectly suited for
growing sweet corn.
Pennsylvania
ranks fourth nation
ally in sweet corn
production. In addi
tion, sweet corn
thrives in well
drained soils that
hold water well,
characteristics that
describe much of the
state’s arable soil.
Ferretti said sweet
corn is a popular
food item primarily
in the U.S. Most Eu
ropean, African, and
Asian countries
grow field corn to
feed livestock and
poultry or to make
cornmeal, which is
used for polenta,
tortillas, mealy
meal, breads, and
other products.
“Sweet corn was
developed from
maize, which is
native to the Ameri
cas and been culti
vated in Central
America since 3500
Ferretti ex
plained. Seed com
panies have sold
sweet corn varieties
since the early
1800 s, but they
really became popu
lar as garden crops
in the 1960 s with the
development of a
very popular sweet
variety called Silver
Queen.
All sweet corn
varieties are grown
from seed and can
be planted in most of
Pennsylvania from
about May 15 to
July 1, depending
upon whether varie
ties are early-season
or late-season. “To
enjoy sweet corn
throughout the
growing season, gar
deners should make
multiple plantings
of early, main
season, and late-maturing
varieties,” Ferretti said.
Ferretti recommends dedi
cating at least a 5-foot by 5-
foot square of soil for corn, a
plot capable of producing
about 16 corn plants or
around 30 edible ears. “A
square plot is ideal because
corn is pollinated by the wind
and plants are more likely to
receive adequate wind flow in
a square than in a long row,”
he said.
Seeds should be planted 1
inch deep about every 4
inches in rows 16 inches
apart. As the plants appear,
Ferretti recommends pulling
out the less vigorous plants.
“Ideally, you should have
about 16 inches of space be
tween each remaining plant,
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which allows for good polli
nation and space to grow.”
Ferretti said corn attracts a
wide variety of pests, includ
ing corn borers, corn
earworms, armyworms, Jap
anese beetles and corn
rootworms. Home gardeners
can use Sevin, an all-purpose
garden insecticide, or cover
the crop with fine mesh row
covers. “The row covers will
have to be removed when
corn tassels appear so the
plants can pollinate,” he said.
“In a small plot, most people
can control pests by walking
through and removing in
sects unless your plot is
next to a farmer’s giant corn
field.”
Ferretti said growing your
own corn is the best way to
ensure fresh, sweet-tasting
ears. When sweet corn is
picked, it immediately starts
to convert its sugar content to
starch and loses aroma and
vitamins. “Corn tastes best
when you start the water boil-
Wissert To Florist Directors
ALFRED, N.Y. Joan
Wissert, assistant professor
and chair, Agriculture and
Horticulture Department,
Alfred State College, was re
cently elected to the Associ
ated Florists of Greater
Rochester, Inc., board of di
rectors.
This group works through
out the year to promote the
floral industry. It is the last
remaining independent (non
wire service) floral associa-
f (PAUL B.
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ing on the stove and then go
out and pick a few ears,” Fer
retti laughs. “But, if you put
the ears in a plastic bag and
refrigerate immediately after
picking, most varieties will
retain good quality for about
five days.”
tion in western New York.
The group’s most recent
project is Garden Scape 2000,
greater Rochester’s floral and
garden show.
Wissert’s election marks
the first time in the organiza
tion’s history that a college
program has been invited to
become a member.
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