Corn no longer the same as grandfather grew

Earlier this spring, I received an interesting packet of seeds from Renee's Garden (www.reneesgarden.com), called a Native American Three Sister Garden.

I have long admired the great contribution that the Three Sisters of corn, squash and beans have made to my table.

The Three Sisters concept is an intercropping system in which the three vegetables are planted simultaneously on a rounded mound of soil called a hill.

These three vegetables — and many others — were unknown to Europeans before the time of Columbus. Their vegetable diet lacked these three, plus tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and sweet potatoes. It makes me wonder how the Italians made pizza!

With that in mind, I will discuss these three great vegetables in a series of articles during the next few weeks.

I have grown them all for many years, sometimes separately, sometimes together, but I have always been rewarded with tasty eating.

Corn is the oldest sister. She stands tall in the center, if you're using the Three Sisters gardening concept.

The corn that Native Americans grew was a far cry from the sweet corn we now grow. The hard, colored kernel corn they grew withstood the harsh conditions and was able to thrive without regular irrigation or fertilization.

Corn is a popular garden vegetable, but many people had difficulty growing it last season. Here are some growing tips to help you have a successful crop this year.

Plant the seed in well-drained, fertile soil. Add 2 to 4 inches of organic matter, and add one or two pounds of 16-16-8 fertilizer per 100 square feet of garden.

Check the soil and air temperatures. Corn is a warm-season crop, so make certain the soil temperature is at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, this is about when the apples bloom in your area. Many growers use seed that is treated with a fungicide to prevent rotting in cold, wet soil.

The newer super-sweet corn types require even warmer soil temperatures. One very common complaint last year was poor germination because of our cold, rainy spring.

Because each stalk of corn only produces once, plant successive crops, starting when the soil is warm enough, and continue every two weeks until July. Corn requires 60 to 90 days to mature, depending on the cultivar. For extra early production, you can use small transplants (three to four weeks old) or start the corn in Wall O'Waters or clear plastic tunnels.