I ’ve been acontainer gardenerfor years , uprise everything from yearly and perennials to veggies and small fruits in pots of every form and size , but one thing I ’ve never been able to rise in a pot is sweet corn .
Corn is wind - pollenate , and in monastic order for there to be enough pollen in the melody to fully pollinate the ears , you need to have many corn flora in slopped quarters . Plus , corn plants grow very magniloquent and look awkward in containers . My every attempt to grow corn in containers result in plants that were right smart too improbable for their spate and half - formed spike ( if any formed at all ) .
This twelvemonth is going to be different . And it ’s all because of a variety of corn whisky that ’s been breed specifically for growing in container . ( you may probably get wind me urge all the way over here in Pennsylvania ! )
The Container Corn
Burpee Seeds carry a intercrossed unfermented corn called On Deck that ’s made for container gardener and those with small garden . I saw it growing in half - whisky barrels in arooftop gardenlast summer when I was on a local garden tour . When I asked the garden owner about their experience , she said they had very good luck growing On Deck the late year .
Each stalk produced two or three ears and originate between 4 and 5 feet magniloquent . She tell she did help with pollenation by brushing a paintbrush against the tassels and then agitate it over the silk every morning for a hebdomad or so as presently as the tassels started shed pollen . However , others do n’t go through that endeavor and the plants still develop full 7 - inch - long auricle .
This Year’s Garden Experiment
It will be exciting to maturate On Deck edible corn on my terrace this summertime . I ’m already planning a little experiment . I ’m run low to grow some Indian corn plants in a orotund , 60 - gallon , fabric grow bag , and I ’m going to spring up another mountain in a big credit card bathtub to see if one container works well than the other .
Growing Your Corn
Regardless of what type of container you choose , one thing I do know about growing corn is that you do n’t want to implant it too too soon . waitress until the in - priming coat soil temperature reaches at least 55 level F and the nighttime melodic phrase temperature is consistently quick before sowing the seeds . If you institute the seeds before then , the seeds may rot , even when they ’re engraft in a container , or the plant may fail to thrive .
Corn also loves full sun , so pick a spot that receives at least eight hours of full sun per day . Burpee hint planting nine seeds per 24 - in - diam container , so my pots will each house between 15 and 18 plants . Expect the corn to be ready to glean in 60 to 65 days , a good three to four weeks before full - sized sweet corn is ready to beak .
I ’ll account back by and by this summertime with the results of my experiment . Have you ever grown unfermented clavus in container ? I ’d love to find out about your experience !
