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Man made plant….it would not exist in its current form if not for man People living in Mexico began planting corn at least 7000 years ago, it began as a plant called teosinte that didn’t have kernels spaced closely together on a cob Pollen beneath Mexico City has been found that is at least 80,000 years old! It eventually spread through out the western hemisphere as a food staple
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Seed saving from corn planted through out the west caused a great variety of corn types to develop and improvements have came about to this day even down to genetic modification Corn is one of native peoples original food crops known as the three sisters, corn, beans, and squash
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Flint corn tends to have a larger grain with relatively little flour tissue in the endosperm. Flour corn is soft, floury and breaks apart readily. Dent corn is a cross between flint and flour corn. Characteristics of dent corn include: ◼ a floury portion in the middle of the endosperm and extending upward and widening over the grain, and a corneous part that extends around the middle of the endosperm ◼ Shrinkage of the floury part plus the non-shrinkage of the corneous part produces the characteristic dent of the dent corn. It can be used for the purpose of making bread or used for wet grinding or for making hominy
Corn Types
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There are 4200 products corn is used for! Common items…. https://kscorn.com/wpcontent/uploads/2017/07/CommonItems-Containing-Corn.pdf
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Farmers today produce 70% more corn per pound of fertilizer applied than they did in 1970 In 2019 farmers produced 500% more corn than in 1936 on less acreage! Production per acre has doubled in 20 years with no additional inputs
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US corn crop is worth about $61 billion US is the largest producer of corn in the world producing 20% of the world total with 96,000,000 acres!
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Light ◼ ≥6 hours Soil Access Air Drainage Proximity to Trees & Shrubs
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Near the house. ◼ Easy to get to when harvesting. ◼ Accessible for weeding, cultivating, & staking plants. Close to water. May deter vermin.
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Low-lying areas are subject to unseasonable frosts & water-logged soils. South-facing slopes warm more quickly. Protected sites with reasonably good air flow is best Shield from damaging thunderstorm winds Air flow dries foliage to help control diseases
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Unwanted shade. Competition for water and nutrients. Juglone toxicity. Site the garden at least 10 feet from any tree or shrub. Birds!!!!
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Compete with plants for sunlight, water, nutrients, & space. Reduce perennial weeds before planting. ◼ Solarization with plastic ◼ Herbicides (glyphosate, 2-4D, Preen) ◼ Tillage Hoe regularly to keep annual weeds under control.
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Well-drained. Solutions for clay soils: ◼ ◼
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Add organic matter Raised beds
Work soils down to 6-7 inches. Remove large stones, clods, or plant debris.
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Soil test ◼ Best done the fall before planting and every 3 years thereafter. ◼ Sample 6-7 inches deep in 5 areas of the garden randomly. ◼ pH – 6.0-6.8 ◼ Phosphorus ◼ Potassium ◼ Nitrogen ◼ Organic matter
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Benefits: ◼ Improves water retention ◼ Promotes soil structure ◼ Increases fertility ◼ Increases cation exchange (nutrient availability) ◼ Reduces fertilizer requirements up to 50% ◼ Enhanced microbial activity ◼ Suppresses pathogens ◼ Accelerates the breakdown of pesticides & other synthetic compounds
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Corn is a warm season crop and will not germinate well and may rot in soils that are not 60 degrees and above, this is especially true of the heirloom varieties grown for meal, grits, hominy, and tortillas etc.
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Purchased new seed yearly or save your own if growing an heirloom Plant kernels 1” deep in well tilled soil Rows should be 3 feet apart with plants 9 to 12 inches apart in the row May also be planted in hills…start with 5 to 6 seeds per hill and thin to three per hill Space hills 3 feet apart
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Plant seed twice as deep as the seed is wide. Keep seed moist until plants germinate.
Depends on how much cornmeal or grits you plan to eat. On average one ear of corn makes 1 cup of cornmeal.
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Before planting get a soil test! Otherwise: apply 2lbs actual nitrogen or 20lbs of 10-10-10 per 1000 square feet before planting.
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Sidedressing: Apply .25 pound of urea per 25 feet of row when corn is about knee high
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Size of Mature Plant Days to Harvest Heirlooms Disease Resistance Saving Seed?
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Central Kentucky has 150-160 frost-free days, zone 6b. Average last frost is April 30-May5. Planting date for fall crops should be counted backward from the average date of 1st frost. Additional days should be added because of cool nights and shorter days.
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http://www.ca.u ky.edu/agc/pubs /id/id128/id128. pdf
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Old-fashioned varieties. Selected for their flavor and ability to thrive in a particular area. No disease resistance? Usually very large plants.
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Select resistant varieties if practical. No one variety is resistant to all diseases Seed catalogs will indicate what varieties are resistant.
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Corn of all kinds will cross the first year! Different types of sweet corn, popcorn, and Indian Corn can cross with unwanted results!
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Isolated physically by planting varieties at least 500 feet apart. Remember corn is wind pollinated. Separate varieties by planting 14 days apart if they have close maturity dates Separate by maturity date alone?
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All varieties should be isolated from each other. Cross pollination between varieties, types, and sweet and field corn will reduce quality! Remember This If Nothing Else!
Corn is the only vegetable that will cross and ruin quality THIS SEASON!
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Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are all members of the solanaceous family
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Beans and peas are legumes
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Cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and squash are all cucurbits
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Radishes, rutabagas, and turnips are all cole crops just like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts
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Onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives are alliums
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Crop rotations of at least 4 (2) years are recommended.
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Corn makes a good rotation partner for all of these!
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Insect & disease management Weed management Nutrient demands ◼ Increased soil nitrogen Benefits of the preceding crops ◼ Improved physical condition of the soil ◼ Increased microbial activity ◼ Excretion of beneficial substances?
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Matching water application to plant needs. Generally 1 inch per week Based on ◼ Soil type ◼ Rainfall ◼ Crop requirements ◼ Growth stage Experience and soil examination are best measures. Rain gauge Don’t base watering on crop appearance. Soaker hoses save water and reduce disease instance, hard to gauge amount
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Organic – breaks down ◼ Straw ◼ Chopped leaves ◼ Wood chips ◼ Grass clippings ◼ Newspaper Inorganic ◼ Plastic Benefits ◼ Weed suppression ◼ Temperature moderation ◼ Soil moisture moderation ◼ Sanitation ◼ Add nutrients
Corn Earworm • Primary corn pest! • Bt ready corn? • Spray corn ears as soon as silks appear • Malathion, Sevin, Dipel • Earlier planting reduces earworm
pressure.
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Armyworms Can be a significant pest in some years, generally sporadic Malathion, Sevin, Cyfluthrin, Dipel
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Cutworms Early spring pest Cyfluthrin, Sevin
European Corn Borers Significant pest! Malathion, Sevin, Cyfluthrin, Dipel
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Aphids Primarily only a problem on small plants Malathion, Orthene, Insecticidal soap
Flea Beetles Again more severe on smaller plants, can become a problem on ears as well Sevin, Cyfluthrin, Neem
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Grasshoppers Periodical Pest Malathion, Sevin, Orthene, Chickens?
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Other Pests Cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, Leafhoppers, Seed Maggots, Sowbugs
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Bacterial Wilt Leaves show brown streaks, early infection can result in stunting, wilting, and death of the plant Control flea beetles that vector the disease Use resistant varieties
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Smut Swelling or galls on leaves, stems, ears, tassels that are shiny greenish-white Rotate, avoid plant injury, destroy galls as they occur
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Stunting Disease Yellowing, mosaic on leaves, stunts plants Vectored by aphids and leaf hoppers, destroy johnson grass around crop, plant resistant varieties
Examples
Kentucky Rainbow
Bloody Butcher
Glass Gem (Flint/Popcorn)
Hopi Blue (Flint)
Oaxacan Green
Painted Mountain (Flint)
Johnson Co. White
Strawberry Popcorn
Harvesting and Curing Corn ◼
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Allow corn to remain on the plant until the shuck is dried and brown and the corn plant is at least 80% browned. Pick the corn ears pull the shucks back and cure in a warm dry place for at least 2 weeks before shelling. Hanging is better than curing on a flat surface.
Shelling
Storing Shelled Corn ◼
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The freezer is the best place to avoid weevils…at the very least freeze for two weeks after shelling then place in an air tight Ziplock bag or mason jar. Ground meal stores longest in the freezer as well.
Milling Options
Top Of The Line Home Manual Mills
$529-$1385
$999
$349
Milling Options
Top Of The Line Home Electric Mills
$2999
$319
$310-$395
Affordable Milling Options
$135 and up
$40-$60
Best For The Price!
$80.00
$23
My Favorite!
$119-$149
Sieves
60 Mesh Is Great For Meal
Regular Old Strainer Works Just Fine!
Recipe For Cornbread Using Dent Types 1 1/3 cup fresh ground dent type corn meal ◼ 1/3 cup all purpose flour ◼ 1 tablespoon sugar optional ◼ 1/2 teaspoon salt ◼ 3/4 teaspoon baking powder ◼ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda ◼ 3/4 cup buttermilk ◼ 1 egg ◼ 2 tablespoons oil (batter will be thicker than you are familiar with) ◼
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. ◼ Combine all ingredients until smooth. ◼ Place cast iron skillet on burner and get hot, pour in 2 tablespoons of oil. ◼ Pour the batter into the skillet and place it into the oven. ◼ Bake for 25 minutes or so. (Recipe can be used for fried cornbread and muffins as well.) ◼
What about flint types and popcorn? ◼
Flint types of corn and popcorn which is technically a flint type have a dryer meal. You can make cornbread with a wetter batter like you are probably familiar with and get great results. If you use the previous recipe you will need to add additional buttermilk or just milk.
Aflatoxin-DON’T EAT! ◼
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If any dried ear of corn has mold of any kind any where throw the whole thing away. Don’t feed it to animals either it is poisonous to them as well as us. Causes liver damage, cancer, and death at high levels.
Let’s Mill!
Questions?