Corn is a grass plant native to Mexico, domesticated by the native peoples of the center of that country more than 10,000 years ago. In the seventeenth century it was introduced to Europe and is currently the plant with the highest production worldwide.
Its versatility makes corn one of the most important foods for humans; It has a high nutritional value and is used for very diverse preparations, in addition to obtaining products such as flour and oil.
Despite the popularity of its cultivation, however, organic corn is hard to find, and very uncommon to plant in home gardens.
The fear of planting corn at home is due, in many cases, to the fact that it is a plant that, like others, distinguishes male and female flowers. Pollination is necessary for corn to provide ears; if not, it does not produce fruit.
Some people believe that this makes it difficult to have it in the garden, but in truth it is only necessary to have some space and know some tricks to help pollination.
How to grow corn or corn at home
1. The first step to planting corn in the garden is to get rid of the prejudices that say that it is impossible for it to bear fruit in small spaces. Small extensions can work very well if some special care is taken into account (such as manual pollination, which hardly takes time). Some people even successfully grow it in pots.
2. There are many varieties of corn, so you have to choose the right one taking into account the climate, the terrain and the use that you are going to give it (it is not the same to produce corn to eat corn than to make flour). What you do have to keep in mind is that you should choose a single variety. If two varieties are grown less than a kilometer apart, cross-pollination can occur, changing the characteristics of the beans.
Regarding the terrain and climate, corn needs a soil rich in organic matter and a lot of direct exposure to the sun.
3. Learn to recognize male and female spikes. The male flowers are the spikes that appear at the top of the bush and the female ones are those that are below, next to the trunk and have the typical threads or silks. Fertilization consists of pollen from males reaching the silks of females.
4. Although you plant a small amount and in small spaces, do it in blocks. This helps pollination, which is not as effective when planted in rows. The blocks will be pollinated by the action of the wind, although you can help this manually.
5. Collaborate manually with the pollination of the flowers. This is done a week after the flowers appear, and on dry days. In cases of sowing in isolated rows, it is necessary to resort to manual pollination. In blocks, it is the best way for the outer rows to also produce ears.
To pollinate manually, you can shake the anthers so that the wind carries the pollen away (this is a small help), or you can collect the pollen in your hand or in a paper bag and deposit it on the silks of the next plant. .
After pollination, all that remains is to wait and see the corn grow. Do not forget that between sowing and harvesting, corn takes about 130 days; and that it is better to sow in the rainy season.
If you liked this note, you can read this delicious recipe for creamy humitas to prepare with your corn when you celebrate the first harvest. Organic corn tastes so much better!