Deep Mulch & Compost Method: Growing Sweet Corn in the Home Garden
Did you know you can turn an old, moldy hay bale into a thriving sweet corn patch? Well, you could turn it into a patch of anything, technically. I chose delicious, home-grown sweet corn.
Growing corn at home requires lots of space, yet minimal resource competition. The yields of corn are low per plant in comparison to other vegetables, but I decided to finally do a corn patch again anyways. This time, we're working smarter. Not harder.
I want to harvest some home-grown sweet corn again because the flavor truly can't be beat, but I know what a challenge it can be to grow. We're growing a little too much in our garden this year, so hopefully things don't go a little sideways. We all know that they usually do though; we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Follow along, and let's see whether or not the 2025 sweet corn patch is a success here in The Aberrant Garden.
Is It Better to Plant Corn in Blocks or Rows?
One big reason corn may fail to produce decently sized ears is poor pollination; planting in blocks rather than rows can keep this from happening. The first year I grew corn, I attempted rows. We'll just say that went absolutely terribly, but it was a valuable lesson learned! Never plant your corn in single rows; not unless you intend to hand pollinate. You'll get better pollination and ears with a much better fill rate, if you plant them in blocks. A block typically contains four rows of corn.
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| This hay bale will hopefully be the answer to our problem; lots of natural, organic mulch to keep weeds at bay in our sweet corn patch, while decomposing into rich compost, in place. |
Why I am Using an Old Hay Bale to Grow My Sweet Corn Patch
A few years ago, we had a delivery of round bales come in for our herd. These bales were significantly bigger than they were expected to be; rolling a 1,300 pound round bale around by hand (two people) isn't the easiest feat to accomplish. As a matter of fact, I don't know how we managed to move the rest of the delivery by hand! Anyway, a single bale rolled slightly off path and teetered into the ditch beside my hilled melon row. There was no moving that thing. It was stuck, and it became the future garden bale at that moment. Mind you, this hay was unsprayed, so it was in fact safe for gardening. I just didn't get around to using it last year.
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| Look at this really cool fungal growth that I found lurking on the hay bale! Since the hay bale has sat there for so long, lots of fungal growth is happening. These organisms break down the hay, turning it into compost. After the hay serves its purpose as a mulch, it will compost in place, feeding our garden for another year. |
To add to this, corn is very labor intensive. There is a lot of weeding involved! In previous years, the yield wasn't worth the effort, especially since yields were pretty terrible for us. The one year I had great success with the plants, with a nice yield, we had earworm issue pop up. Therefore, I'd like to keep the weeding and extra labor to a minimum in order to maximize the value of a corn patch. If a bale of this size costs me $45, it should be a savings over the amount of labor involved with weeding over the course of the growing season. Hay will really smother the weeds, but it's also perfect for composting in place and improving the soil structure.
So here we are: hay bale turned corn patch!
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| So far, these corn seedlings are very happy in the hay bale mulch! Growing sweet corn in hay will hopefully significantly reduce the amount of labor involved from seeding to harvest. |
Sweet Corn Growing Stages
The sweet corn growing stages all come with their own issues, so be sure to pay close attention throughout the growing season. Here are some of the issues I've noted, in order of the stages of growth:
- Seeding & Germination:
Problems begin before you even see the tiny green leaves! Planting too deeply can cause delayed sprouting. Planting too shallow can encourage birds and rodents to eat your seeds. Cold weather can delay germination, as well. We have had some issues with spotty germination in areas, and I suspect a rodent, or bird ate some of my seeds. I had to replant with a third variety.
- Young Seedlings:
Once the corn is above ground, you still run the risk of pests like crows taking off with the seedlings; but the risk lessens every day. However, the seedlings can still be trampled or washed away during flash flooding. If you have chickens, keep a close eye on them; you'd be amazed at how quickly they can damage your patch. One rooster did quite a bit of damage in ours so far this year. Another threat is a late frost; corn should be planted a couple weeks after the estimated last frost date.
- Juvenile Stage & Tasseling Corn:
Once the corn reaches 1/2-3/4 of its mature height, you'll usually see tassels have begun developing. This is when your nerves can rest a little easier, as the corn is large enough that it shouldn't get trampled, yet you're not having to worry about pests within the ears, or wildlife stealing your ears. The biggest threat is largely storms; hail and high winds can cause a lot of damage, and lay corn down. It's also a good time to consider adding more fertilizer, ahead of ear development.
- Silks Appear, Fertilization:
Once the silks appear, fertilization begins. This is when your ears begin to grow and swell. Shortly after the silks appear, you'll have to keep an eye out for pests that damage the ears. For us, the main pest is the corn earworm. A few days after the silks appear, I begin applying BT to the silks to keep earworms at bay. You can also bag your ears to keep the moth from laying eggs, but I find the process of applying BT to the corn silks to be relatively simple and quick. It only takes a few seconds per ear.
- Maturation & Harvest:
As the ears reach maturity, you'll still be dealing with pests like ear worms; but the wildlife may begin moving in to take the harvest. Raccoons and rats can be major pests in corn. Keep an eye on the corn daily, and harvest as it becomes ready; silks will brown, and the ears will be full. Sweet corn is harvested during the milk stage; if you press a kernel with your nail, the liquid that comes out of the kernel will have a milky appearance.
What Happens After the Corn is Harvested?
Once I harvest the corn, the stalks will be fed to our goats. They'll be a delicious treat for the herd, as they absolutely love corn plants.
The hay and compost that's left over will be tilled under in preparation for fall crops. I anticipate harvesting our sweet corn sometime in August. The hay will likely be heavily decomposed by then, and I am willing to bet that the weed pressure is going to become very high at that time. Therefore, tilling will help to incorporate the remaining hay into the soil and break up the roots of larger weeds. After this is done, I will likely place woven plastic mulch over it to help terminate weeds and seedlings for a week or two. Then, some fall crops will be seeded in place of the corn.
I'm excited to see how this corn patch performs for us, and I am hopeful that this plan will work out just right. Of course, Mother Nature usually has other plans; so, we shall see! Are you growing sweet corn this year? What varieties are you growing?
