How to Make a Cornfield

Fields of corn stretch as far as the eye can see in some parts of America. If you could go back in time several thousand years you'd see cornfields made by Native Americans growing in Mexico and the southern United Sates. The original corn variety no longer exists but you can find its descendants growing all over the world and being used for food, for fuel and in industry, says Iowa State University.

Tractor or rototiller
Plow attachment for tractor
Harrow for tractor or garden rake
Planter for tractor or garden planter
Corn seed
Fertilizer, 12-12-12

Instructions

- 1
  
  Plow the field to loosen the soil for planting.
  
  Prepare the field for planting by tilling the soil with your plow or rototiller. Turn the soil to a depth of about six inches. Corn grows best in loose, easily worked soil, says the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.
- 2
  Go back over the field with the harrow or the rake. This will level the surface of the field and break up any large clots of earth.
- 3
  
  Corn needs a lot of nitrogen rich fertilizer.
  
  Fill the bins of your tractor planter or garden planter with corn seed and 12-12-12 fertilizer. A good ratio for the fertilizer is 3 to 4 pounds of fertilizer for every 100 square feet of cornfield.
- 4
  
  A hoe is handy for weed control.
  
  Keep weed growth down by hoeing or using the rototiller in between the rows of corn. This is important because weeds will consume nutrients that your corn needs and you will have a poorer crop.
- 5
  
  There are many varieties of corn seed you can plant.
  
  Set the planter to plant the seed at a depth of 1 to 2 inches in rows 10 to 15 inches apart with 8 to 10 inches between seeds in each row. Plant the corn seeds in late spring to prevent any damage from frost.
- 6
  After the corn plants reach a height of two feet, apply a side dressing of fertilizer to supply the nitrogen your corn will need to be healthy. Apply 200 pounds of nitrogen-rich fertilizer per acre to the soil surface about three inches out from the plants. Work the fertilizer into the soil to prevent runoff and to keep the fertilizer from burning the young plants.
- 7
  After your corn is harvested in the fall, plow the stalks and stubble under. This will put nutrients back into the soil to enrich it for the next growing season.

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