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What Is a Cornfield Made Up Of?

If you have ever looked at a cornfield from overhead and all you saw was a land full of yellows and browns, you might have wondered why someone would plant hundreds of rows of corn. The answer is that farmers plant corn in fields so that they can get hundreds of ears in one harvest, and though they look really simple, cornfields are complex and made up of much more than corn.
  1. Open Field

    • An open field is the best venue for corn planting. The field must be long and wide, with no cover whatsoever. The field must also be in a spot that receives a lot of sunlight, as corn doesn't do well in shaded conditions or places that receive lots of rain.

    Soil, Temperature, Spacing and Harvesting

    • Corn seed needs to be planted in dry soil. The temperature of the soil should not be lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Field corn should contain rows that are at least 40 inches in width, and at least 15 inches apart from each other. When it comes to harvesting, you can tell if they are ready to be harvested when the ears of the corn are filled already. Another sign is when the silk cover of the corn turns crispy and brown.

    Types of Corn

    • There are lots of types of corn that can be planted in a corn field. There's the Seneca Horizon variety, which is one of the most renowned types. Bon Appetit corn is prized because of its remarkable flavor and quality. Other varieties of corn are Fleet, Seneca Arrowhead, Sugar Baby, Precious Gem, Luscious Corn, Nantasket, Polka, Valor, Confection, Applause and Optimum.

    Corn Friends

    • A cornfield does not have to contain just corn. When corn is planted, other kinds of vegetables can be planted along with it. According to USA Gardener, you can also plant the following in a cornfield: cabbage, peas, parsley, cucumber, cantaloupe, beet, bush bean, pumpkin, squash and early potatoes.