How to Grow Floriani Red Flint

Fill the peat cell starter tray to the top with potting soil. Plant one corn seed in each cell, covering the seeds with about 1 1/2 inches of soil. Spray the soil lightly with water to moisten it.

Spray the soil as often as necessary to keep it moist. When the seeds germinate, place the tray in a location that receives bright sunlight or under a grow light.

Prepare the outdoor growing location after the soil warms above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Cultivate the soil down to a depth of at least 6 inches with the garden spade. Add 4 inches of compost over the top of the soil and rake the soil surface smooth.

Make rows for the corn seedlings with the hoe. Drag the hoe along the soil to create a block of rows, each row 2 1/2 feet apart. By planting the corn in blocks, you lessen the chances of the corn cross-pollinating with other corn varieties.

Plant each seedling in its peat cell in the prepared rows, spacing them 12 inches apart. Provide water to saturate the soil thoroughly.

Add between 3 and 4 lbs. of granular fertilizer for every 100 feet of row, sprinkling it evenly about 6 inches away from each row. Work the fertilizer into the soil well with the hoe and water the soil to help the fertilizer absorb.

Fertilize the corn again when the seedlings reach a height of about 10 inches. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of bone meal around each corn seedling and work it into the soil gently with the hoe.

Check the silk on the ears to determine when they are ready for harvest. When the silk begins to turn brown, the ears are ready to harvest. Grasp an ear and pull it sharply at an angle to pull it from the stalk. Floriani Red Flint corn is ready for harvest about 100 days after planting.