Sweet Corn
How far apart to plant sweet corn, how many fit your bed, when to plant them and how many you need.
- In the row
- 6 to 12 in
- Between rows
- 24 to 36 in
- Per square foot
- 2
- Planting depth
- 1 to 1.5 in
- Sow outdoors
- 0 weeks after last frost
How many fit a raised bed
| Bed | At 15 in spacing | Square foot method |
|---|---|---|
| 4 x 4 ft | 9 | 32 |
| 4 x 8 ft | 18 | 64 |
| 3 x 6 ft | 8 | 36 |
Square grid with half the spacing kept clear at the bed edges.
Plant corn in blocks of at least three or four short rows rather than one long row; it is wind pollinated and a block gives well-filled ears.
Keep standard (su), sugary enhanced (se) and supersweet (sh2) types from tasseling at the same time, or cross-pollination costs the sweeter types their sweetness.
Sweet Corn calculators
Sweet Corn Spacing Calculator
How far apart to plant sweet corn, and how many fit your bed, row or area.
When to Plant Sweet Corn
The date to sow sweet corn outdoors for your ZIP code or zone, and when to sow again.
How Much Corn to Plant per Person
Row feet, plants and harvest of sweet corn for your household.
Sources
- Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331), Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech
- How to Grow Sweet Corn in Your Garden, Utah State University Extension
- Square Foot Gardening (class notes), University of Wisconsin-Extension, Taylor County
- CMG GardenNotes #720: Vegetable Planting Guide, Colorado State University Extension
- Soil temperature conditions for vegetable seed germination, Oregon State University Extension Service
- Sweet Corn: Key Growing Information, Johnny's Selected Seeds
- The Myth of Companion Plantings, Washington State University Puyallup Research and Extension Center