The last few years, se have become backyard gardeners. Each year we try to grow corn either in our raised beds or in the ground. Each year our corn starts out great, lots of ears and they are really delicious. Then all of a sudden the ears stop forming. We have moved the corn around to different beds but each year the same thing is happening. Each year we add compost to the soil and rototill it in. Do you know why we are experiencing this problem each year? All other vegetables and berries are great producers in our yard. Thank you for your help.
Washington County Oregon
Congratulations on growing corn successfully. Fresh from the garden is certainly more than worth it when it comes to corn!
That said, corn is somewhat different than other vegetables, such as tomatoes and beans which produce for an extended period. Corn is a once-and-done crop, yielding 2, possibly 3, ears per stem only. But you can maintain a supply of fresh corn by putting in successive plantings.” . . . the best way to stagger sweet corn plantings is to wait until one crop is 1 to 2 inches tall before planting the next” (See “Scheduling Vegetable Plantings for Continuous Harvest” http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/sites/default/files/documents/continuousharvest.pdf)You might also like to review “Growing Your Own” which includes a chart of when to seed or transplant vegetables (page 7); see https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/em9027.pdf.