Down to earth: Growing corn
Growing corn
As spring begins to warm up (more slowly this year with all the rain), then we can plant many warm season crops such as zucchini, pumpkin and sweet corn.
Corn (Zea mays) is one of the world’s most important grains, and originated in central America. Corn has since evolved into several types: maize or flour corn, sweet corn and popcorn. There is great satisfaction in growing some of each and then making corn bread, eating sweet corn in the new year and popping corn in the autumn with the kids.
Corn is a heavy feeder, so add lots of compost and supplement with a handful of blood and bone or fishmeal in the bed. Add lime if soil is acid.
Additions of rock phosphate and potash are ideal, so try organic fertiliser mix at the garden shop or Rural Service Centre.
Corn can be direct sown when soil temperature reaches 20ºC. Sow at least two seeds per hole 3cm deep and remove weaker seedlings later.
The best way to get a good crop is to start it indoors. Soak seed overnight in dilute seaweed solution then sow into cell trays or pots.
Plant seedlings in a sunny position in a block for better pollination. Space plants at 25 – 50cm apart (popcorn at smaller spacing) in at least four rows. Twenty plants will give a family a good feed.
Keep well weeded. Wider spacings allow easier hoeing. Mound soil up around the seedlings a few times as they grow.
Supply adequate water. Mulch with grass clippings or seaweed/seagrass as summer develops.
Add supplementary feeds of blood and bone or fishmeal as they get bigger. They also respond well to liquid fertilisers, especially seaweed early on and comfrey later.
Try growing companions of pumpkins (which shade the soil) and climbing beans (sown 3 or 4 weeks later—these add a little nitrogen), known as “the three sisters” by the Native Americans.
Flour corn and popcorn needs to stay on the plant until mature. That’s when the husks start to dry off. Then remove, pull off the tassels and tie two together by their husks. Hang over a string under cover to fully dry.
Sweetcorn is ready when the tassels brown off. Older varieties go floury quickly (but are more nutritious), so pick, blanch and preserve them for later use. New hybrid varieties are loved by kids for their juicy texture. Eat raw or steamed. Happy munching!
Fruit care
Hang pheromone traps to prevent codlin and leafroller moth damage.
Plant passionfruits in warm spots with free-draining soil.
Sow beneficial understorey annuals now into bare soil around fruit trees (Kings Seeds has mixes).
Plant comfrey and other beneficial herbs around the orchard.
Keep fruits well mulched.
Plant strawberries into well-prepared beds. Start liquid fertilising with comfrey. Mulch with pine needles.
Spray stonefruit and pipfruit with liquid seaweed as a tonic.
Spray citrus with copper oxychloride every two weeks vs dieback and verrucosis disease (scab), and all purpose oil for scale insect and aphid.
Prune citrus as you harvest. Best to do heavy pruning now.
In sunny periods, prune out water shoots growing low on the trunk or in the centre of fruit trees, especially stonefruit.
Herb Care
Build a herb spiral.
Plant parsley and perennial herbs.
Vegetable Care
Main planting time NOW! So complete bed preparation for potatoes and other spring crops ASAP.
Plant outside peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, melons and basil now.
Remove heavy mulches or weeds from ground you want to sow, or plant early crops to improve soil warming.
Earth up early potatoes.
Lightly till bare ground to create a clean seed bed ready for sowing root crops.
Hoe and weed beds, especially around onions, carrots and beetroots.
Cloche for soil warming. Plastic bottles work for individual seedlings too.
Liquid fertilise in the morning once a week, especially nitrogenous brews like diluted liquid manures and urine.
Stake broad beans and peas. Make frames for climbing beans, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Watch out for pests and diseases, especially slugs and snails. Use coffee grounds as a deterrent.
Hothouse
Prick out ready seedlings into pots or trays.
Plant hothouse crops like tomatoes and cucumbers.
For transplanting: Sow all seeds 1st November. Leafy greens (leeks, celery, summer spinach, silverbeet/chard, lettuce, endive, cabbages and Brussels sprouts)(also 8 –9th Nov). Sweetcorn, late cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes (also 10 – 11th Nov). Flowers, eg petunia.
Sow direct: Sow all seeds 1st November. Mesclun salad (also 8 –9th Nov). Radish, spring onions, carrot and beetroot, parsnip (also 13 – 15th Nov). French beans, climbing and runner beans (also 10 – 11th Nov). Flowers, eg cornflower and cosmos.
Plant: Best – 5th November. Salad greens, silverbeet/chard, spinach, cabbages, potatoes, yams (oca), kumara, sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Flowers, eg hollyhocks.
General garden care
Collect seaweed.
Make compost.
Mulch citrus with grass clippings.
Sol Morgan, GroWise Consultancy
