How to Prepare Corn Seed for Planting

If you are saving seed from this year's garden to start next year's crops, what you do and don't do now will have a great impact on next season's harvest. Preparing corn seed for next year's planting begins as the crop is taken in from the field. While preparing corn seed for planting is a fairly simple process, steps to ensure success next fall will need to be taken throughout the winter.

Ears of non-hybrid, open-pollinated corn
Bucket
Paper bag
Large bowl
Colander
Paper towel
Water

Instructions

- 1
  Leave corn ears that are to provide seed corn in the field when you harvest ears that will be eaten.
- 2
  Bring in the seed corn--still in the husk and on the cob--about six weeks after the final corn is harvested for eating. At this time, the husks will have turned brown.
- 3
  Pull back the husks and store the ears in a cool, dry, rodent-proof area.
- 4
  Hold the corn ear over a bucket a few months later--when the ears and kernels have completely dried.
- 5
  Twist the ear so that the kernels are released from the cob and fall into the bucket.
- 6
  Winnow off any silks, husks or other debris that fall into your seed.
- 7
  Move the seed from the bucket to a paper bag.
- 8
  Place the paper bag in the refrigerator until spring.
- 9
  Remove the seed from the bag the day before sowing.
- 10
  Pour the seed into a large bowl.
- 11
  Run warm water over the seed until it is standing at least one inch over the top of the seed.
- 12
  Let the seed remain in the water until morning.
- 13
  Drain the water from the seed using a colander.
- 14
  Dry the seed with a paper towel.
- 15
  Sow the corn seed.

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