How to Plant a Cornfield

Corn is one of the few unique contributions that America has made to agriculture throughout the world. Multiple varieties and colors exist including field corn for feeding livestock, sweet yellow corn, silver queen corn and blue corn. The corn can be boiled, roasted or popped and served with a meal or by itself as a snack. Planting a field of corn requires only a basic knowledge of gardening and the field can be small in your back yard or large enough to sell the crop for profit.

Soil aeration tools
12-12-12 fertilizer
Small stakes
String

Instructions

- 1
  Plow, till or aerate the soil using a spade to prepare for planting the corn. Aerate to a 6-inch depth, breaking up any clods and removing large rocks that will prevent the soil from obtaining good contact with the seed.
- 2
  Fertilize the soil with 12-12-12 fertilizer. Use 3 lbs. of the fertilizer per 100 square foot of field.
- 3
  Check the temperature of the soil. It is not recommended to plant the corn before the soil at 6 inches depth has reached a temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not plant any seeds until a minimum of 10 days after the date of the last frost. Temperatures that are too low will inhibit growth or kill the seeds before they germinate.
- 4
  Mark your rows for the corn using stakes with string tied between them. The rows must be spaced 3 feet apart.
- 5
  Plant the seeds 1 inches to 2 inches down, depending on how heavy the soil is. Heavier soils require the seeds to be at a shallow depth. Space the seeds 10 inches apart. To lengthen the growing season, plant several rows, then wait two weeks before planting several more rows. Continue planting new rows every two weeks until mid-season.

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