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OT Field Corn

S

SouthernFarmall

Member
In my hot, dry, and sandy NC climate, growing sweet corn can
be a daunting task. This year, instead of fighting the weather
to produce a tiny marketable crop of Silver Queen, I had the
idea of planting field corn. Correct me if I am obviously wrong,
but I think I would come out ahead by growing field corn and
selling the stalks to produce stands for fall decorations instead
of selling sweet corn ears. Does anyone have any tips for a
first time field corn grower? For now, I plan to plant 12 100 ft.
rows. I also plan to irrigate if I need to, as well as sidedress a
little 10-10-10 at 3 weeks and straight nitrogen at layby. Are
there any very hardy field corn varieties that I should look into?
Remember, I do not care about ears, only stalk production. If
there is anything else I should now, please do not hesitate to
tell me!

Thanks a lot,
SF
 
I tried that. Bought a Deere binder for 75.00. Gonna strick it rich. Sold 2 bundles for 5.00 ea. Good thing I had a lot of fun bindin the corn. My advice? Plant sweet corn and eat it. Give all the extra to the neighbors. Makes for good neighbors.
 
my father had some left over deer corn one year and i planted it for green manure to build up the organic matter in my new garden...i just hand broadcast the whole 200' square plot with corn and triple 13 and disked it in...grew like crazy and corn wasnt bad to eat...no telling what variety it was.
 
I don't want to sound like a smart azz, but, if yo have irrigation available, sweet corn should do just fine. Have you run a soil test?
 
I never tasted sweet corn before adulthood. Everyone (north central Texas)planted Yellow Dent and after geathering what they wanted the remainder was alowed to mature for livestock feed. That practice continues today with some in the area including my family. I never heard compliant from visitors so it must not be aquired taste. The Yellow dent remains in milk much longer than hybrids.
 
Should work. I have been selling corn shocks and straw bales out of a roadside stand at the end of my driveway for years. Twelve stalks per shock tied by hand. This year I sold around 200 shocks. If you cut them by hand slanted near the base, DO NOT I repeat DO NOT have the grand kids out there with you. Middle aged neighbor tripped on corn stubble, fell down and stubble punchered his juggler vain. Died right there on the spot in about 15 minutes.
 
If you are just growing it for decorative stalks you might think about Indian Corn. We planted it here in SC two years ago and it did OK. We got the seed from a cousin that started with a couple ears from roadside stand. we had to sell it all for deer corn as the local elevator would not buy it. Sure is pretty though and the deer love it.
Just a thought.
Ron
 
My Amish neighbor said he sold corn stalk bundles in the past. He grew field corn and cut it with a binder. The binder would put 10-12 stalks in a bundle. He would remove all but two ears from every bundle so the bundles would be lighter. He would then use or sell the ear corn and sell the bundles. You may want to grow a shorter hybrid as the taller ones seem to be smaller stalks and break over easier.
 
I sell about 400 bundles of 10-12 stalks at my roadside stand every fall. I plant about 10 aces of corn and pick a round-up variety that grows tall stalks. I use alot of extra fertilizer and nitrogen in the best part of the field. I pick what I don't sell and feed to my cattle. I cut the bundles by hand and tie them up by hand. I also have planted some Indian corn which would grow real tall too and have used some of that. I also sell pumpkins,straw,gourds,squash and broom corn bundles. I offer a variety of fall items and also do hay rides which helps with my cornstalk success. Like another posted stated, be careful walking around when hand cutting the stalks. I have taken some hard falls tripping on the stubble. I never dreamed it could kill me though.
 
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