Grow Corn! Corn Growing Guide | Gardening in Trinidad and Tobago

Growing your own corn at home is significant because it contributes to self-sufficiency by providing a staple food that can potentially eliminate the need to go to the supermarket, thus ensuring that your family won't have to go to bed hungry due to the food you have in your garden.

It is generally recommended to grow corn either in a raised bed or directly into the ground because these methods require less soil compared to growing them in containers. However, if ground space is unavailable, using containers is also an option.

Spacing is important for two main reasons. Firstly, corn has shallow roots which can easily fall over in high winds, so planting them close helps brace the plants against each other. Secondly, close spacing aids in pollination, as the tassels easily reach the silks of nearby corn plants.

In areas such as Trinidad or similar climates with temperatures of at least 25 degrees Celsius and above, corn can be grown year-round. However, in temperate regions, it should be grown during the hottest part of the year.

Corn requires 8 to 10 hours of sunlight. Less sunlight can result in stunted growth since the large leaves are designed to capture sunlight for photosynthesis.

Corn plants prefer fertile land that is not heavy in clay content. Amending the soil with compost or other organic material helps ensure the roots of the corn can grow easily through the soil.

Corn plants should be watered to maintain even moisture without drying out or becoming waterlogged. For fertilization, since corn is essentially a type of grass, it benefits from high-nitrogen fertilizers such as well-composted animal manure or worm castings.