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Re: SqFt Corn -- questions

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

On 09:31 PM 8/9/99 -0400, Patricia J. Santhuff wrote:

>And now the racoons (we assume) have decimated them. We even put *peace
>offerings* of dried corn around the perimeter, but those rascally racoons
>sagely prefer the fresh green stuff, even though not fully ripe.
>
>Any thoughts anyone, including dealing with the racoons? I realize that with
>all the things we DIDN'T do, that we were asking for minimal productivity,
>but I'd sure appreciate any advice and insight so we can do better next
year. 

In the 2/96 OG article, Mel talks about a new way to grow a square of corn:

<quote>

1. THE 4 BY 4 SWEET CORN BUSHEL!

To reap a true cornucopia of corn (64 ears or more from a 4 by 4 foot
space!), plant four seeds (or kernels) per square foot (that's four times
my original recommendation of only one plant per square foot!).

I discovered this highly improved high-yield planting scheme quite by
accident while filming a segment for my PBS TV series in South Carolina. I
decided to space some corn closer together than I usually recommend, using
varieties with very short stalks (like EARLY SUNGLOW and BUTTERFRUIT ), so
that the growth would look more lush on camera. Later in the season, I
found out that this planting not only looked lush, it was lush-four times
as lush as my standard sweet corn planting scheme! I reaped 64 perfect
juicy sweet ears of corn from just 16 square feet! (You can "up" that
harvest to an astonishing 128 ears if you choose EARLY SUNGLOW, which bears
two ears per stalk!)

This extra-close planting offers another benefit besides boosting your
yields: It also makes it much easier to protect your corn patch from
critters, thus ensuring that you get to eat each and every possible ear
from your patch. Simply enclose each 4 by 4 foot corn patch in a chicken
wire "cage" and you'll keep birds away from the seedlings and raccoons away
from the mature ears! Use the 4 foot tall chicken wire fencing that has 1
inch holes (available at hardware stores and garden centers); sink a stake
into each corner of the bed, and then tie the wire to the stakes. (If your
bed has a wooden frame, you can staple the bottom of the fencing to the
frame for extra security.) Wire the ends of the fence together where they
meet to enclose your patch, then cut a 4 by 4 foot piece of chicken wire to
fasten over top of the whole works (the edges of this flat piece will rest
on the top edges of the fence). This way the entire bed will be enclosed,
and all you have to do is "lift the lid" (that piece of chicken wire on
top) when it's time to harvest your critter-free corn!

</quote>

This is how I plan to plant my corn next year (this year I planted too late
and didn't work on my soil hard enough and I have a dismal crop).

jc


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