Whether it be corn on the cob or even popcorn, corn is a vegetable that many people love. And growing your own corn isn't that difficult. You just need to follow a few simple steps.
The Basics
First of all, you'll need seeds. Corn seeds can be purchased at garden stores or discount stores such as Walmart. After this, you'll need to examine your soil. The best type of soil for corn will be rich in nutrients and able to lock in moisture. As for the temperature, it needs to be warm for your corn to grow well. Typically, temperatures need to be in the low eighties to moderate nineties in order for corn to flourish.
Be forewarned, if it freezes, your corn will almost certainly die. As for the sun, corn will do well in full sun or partial shade. Try to avoid planting your corn crop in full shade if you can. Full shade will not prevent your corn from growing, but it might make it less healthy and more susceptible to diseases.
Pests
Unfortunately, pests can ruin your corn crop if you're not careful. Ants, grasshoppers, slugs, caterpillars, and even gophers love to munch on corn. No matter what you do, your corn is likely to be afflicted with at least a few of these types of pests. Insecticide sprays and powders are one way to counter some of these pests. As for the gophers, you'll have to take drastic steps to rid yourself of them.
You can try smoking them out, and then catching them in a cage if you like. Technology now offers another alternative to ridding yourself of gophers. These technological devices deter gophers by delivering ultrasonic sound waves in the ground, which will keep the gophers away from your garden.
Where to Grow Your Corn
You basically have two choices when it comes to growing your own corn. You can either plant it outside in a field or in a pot. In a pot, you say? Yes, corn really can be grown in a pot. And if you grow your corn in a pot, you will not have to worry about gophers as much. It's not unheard of to grow corn inside your home inside of a pot; however, the temperature inside your home is not likely to be in the nineties.
So you would probably be better off growing your corn in a pot outside. You still will have to worry about some pests, but not nearly as many as you would if you were growing your corn in a normal field.
Growing corn can be a fun and rewarding hobby. You just need to follow a couple of steps, and you'll be well on your way to eating your own corn on the cob.
