Corn

We took a hiatus from corn of about 10 years? Not entirely sure. Sweet corn is a good local seller if you have adequate moisture, good fertility and low insect pressure. Two Primary Pests... the European Corn Borer and the Corn Ear Worm. Control of these pests is easy with low level chemicals like carbyl, or an uptake material like Lorsban. But, they are chemicals. Sweet corn, especially the new hybrid sweet corns are insect magnets.

Organically, you need to approach these pests from the deterrent side.You might try small squirt bottles  of canola or olive oil in ear tips, just a drop or two as soon as the silks show signs of drying. A solution of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) or spinosad. Vulnerable species of insects exposed to spinosad become over stimulated, become exhausted, cease to eat, and die usually within two days.

There are a variety of horticultural oils that are effective controlling ear worms. Fortunately, I do not have any examples to show you at the moment. Most infestations occur at mid season and we are mostly past that at this point. Variety selection is helpful in deterring these pests as well. Stowell's Evergreen, an old heirloom sweet corn with long shelf life, has a really heavy thick husk that resists attack. It is not as sweet modern hybrid sweet corn cultivars but it doesn't contain unhealthy amounts of sugar either. It tastes more like corn.

Our native American varieties are not immune to disease and pests, but seem to be more hearty in some respects. They do not have the yield potential of modern hybrids but they grind well into cornmeal. I am told, the blue varieties, when made into spirits, have a blue tint.

Corn requires fertility. The story of using fish to fertilize corn plants goes back to colonial times. Fish are good. That is why we use a fish emulsion fertilizer to feed our corn. We also rotate legumes on corn land and sometimes inter-seed southern peas with corn. The whole nitrogen fixation thing. We did that on part of our place this year.

We do not do sweet corn as we do not have a corn head for the Chisholm Ryder and have no plans to buy one. Large quantities of sweet corn really need to be hydro cooled rapidly and the ears graded and stored in refrigerated storage immediately. We have none of these capabilities and we are not going to expand that direction.

Corn meets one of my grandfather's most strict criteria. Farm for yourself first. Cash crops come later. Once harvested and dry, we make cornmeal from it. Hominy can be made from it. Combine that with beans and peas and you can make it through the toughest of times. Dry, these food items will feed a family for a long time. Keep enough to replant and sell the excess as cash crops.