Corn
How to sow maize successfully outdoors?
To grow maize outdoors naturally, it's important to choose varieties suited to your region and sow them in spring, when frosts are no longer a concern. Prepare the soil by carefully weeding it and working it deeply to encourage good rooting of the plants. When sowing maize, it is advisable to keep a distance of 30 to 40 centimetres between each seed and to plant them about 3 centimetres deep. Make sure you water regularly, especially in dry spells, to ensure the plants grow well. Once the plants have reached a height of around 10 centimetres, remember to hoe regularly to eliminate weeds and mulch the soil to limit their re-growth. If the maize reaches a large size, you can also use a ridge to stabilise the plants. Be on the lookout for pests and diseases, and encourage biodiversity in the garden by attracting natural enemies to limit pests. By following these tips, you'll be able to harvest healthy, tasty maize to enjoy this summer.
When to harvest maize
To harvest maize, we recommend waiting until the cobs are well formed and the kernels are ripe. This is usually done in late summer or early autumn. To check whether the maize is ready, press a kernel with your fingernail: if it's milky, it's the right time to harvest.
To harvest the maize, cut off the cob with a sharp knife, leaving a small stalk for easier handling. It is recommended to harvest the maize in the morning or evening to avoid the heat.
It is advisable to eat freshly harvested maize to enjoy its flavour and nutrients. If you want to preserve it, you can put it in the fridge for a few days or freeze it for longer storage. Under optimum conditions, maize can be stored for up to a year.
Corn
- Type : Vegetables
- Subtype : Fruiting vegetables
- Botanical Family : Poaceae (grasses)
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Annual
- Exposure : Full Sun
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
- Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
- Adult Height : 250 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
- Sowing Depth : 2 cm
- Plant Spacing : 15 cm
- Row Spacing : 50 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Moderate
- Water Requirements : High
Seeds
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
- Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
- Weed Sensitivity : High
- Pollination : Wind-pollinated
- Propagation : Sowing