If you’re driving downstate on a sunny day, the words to “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” begin to resonate.
“There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow,” cry the lyrics from Oklahoma!  and “the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye,” if you can imagine it.  On a drive through the nation’s Corn Belt in Indiana and Illinois on July 25,  more than one cornfield appeared to be “reaching clear up to the sky.”
As American as mom’s apple pie and grilled steak on the barbecue, fresh sweet corn is a favorite during July and August when families and friends gather for reunions and dinner outside on the patio.
Cultivated in North America for more than 4,000 years, today many backyard gardeners make space for sweet corn because of its traditional place on summer menus. Folks enjoy eating kernels right off the ear or by slicing the corn off the cob to stir-fry alone or with other fresh vegetables in season. Some folks also cry, “No farmers. No food.”
Great tasting varieties vary in color from bright yellow to cream color and all shades in between. Some sweet corn known for its bi-color affectionately is called “speckled beauty.” The smaller the kernel, the sweeter and more tender the corn. Â Large kernels can be tough.
And to take corn growing a step further, folks with lots of garden space often also grow popcorn or ornamental Indian corn, which has similar planting and care needs as sweet corn.
Every corn plant needs plenty of space. Since the corn plants are large, plant in blocks of rows at least four across so the wind can spread their pollen to neighboring plants.
Did you know that each of those corn stalks that grow to be high “as an elephant’s eye” only produce two ears of corn? Â One ear is usually large while the second one is much smaller. ‘Tis the season to teach youngsters about how the food they enjoy grows ready to be prepared for the kitchen table and the backyard barbecue.
One for the rook, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow
Farmers are known for an expression when they plant corn. They sow four seeds one inch deep for each corn plant they expect to grow with a saying, “One for the rook, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow.” Another variation of the expression goes, “One for the squirrel, one for the crow and one to grow.”
If you want corn only for fresh eating, plant a minimum of 10 to 15 plants per person. To extend your harvest, sow an early-maturing type every two weeks for six weeks, or plant early, mid-season, and late types at the same time.
Place your garden plot for corn in a sunny, wind-protected area. Corn is an extremely heavy feeder, especially on nitrogen, so it grows best in a place where soil-enriching crops like soybeans or clover grew last season.
The best way to promote complete pollination is to plant corn in blocks rather than long individual rows—a block should be at least three rows wide. If you plant only one or two rows, hand pollinate to improve kernel formation.
For early plantings, sow seeds only one inch deep. The average germination rate for sweet corn is about 75 percent, so plant three or four seeds together every 7 to 15 inches—and remember that saying from the paragraph up top. They should germinate in 7 to 10 days. Thin to one plant every 15 inches or so.
Corn seeds need about one inch of water a week, especially at the time when the stalks begin to tassel. This year’s crop in Indiana and Illinois looks plentiful. Water stress during pollination will result in ears missing kernels, so don’t skip watering your corn plot.
More and more, farmers across the Corn Belt are sharing their cornfields with wind turbines.
A few corny facts
- In the United States, corn production measures more than two times that of any other crop.
- An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows.
- A pound of corn consists of about 1,300 kernels.
- One bushel of corn produces about 72,800 kernels.
- The “Corn Belt” includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Â Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky.
- Every continent in the world is a corn producer with the exception of Antarctica.
- When tassels are brown, the ears of corn on the stalk should be ready for harvest.
- Harvested ears that are placed in the refrigerator right away will keep fresh for up to a week.
- For the sweetest flavor, pick ears early in the morning and refrigerate in the husk until cooking.
- Indiana Beach proves “there’s more than corn in Indiana!”
Thanks for visiting the “Fresh from the Farms” section of your green grocer such as Casey’s Foods in Naperville. Also, the summer season is a great time to take youngsters to the new Sensory Garden at the Garden Plots along West Street, farm stands and farmer’s markets to learn how fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers grow. Engage in conversations about farming. Farmers enjoy sharing news about the gardening season.
Plus, many farmers also raise bees in hives that pollinate vegetables and produce honey, available at local farmer’s markets. Be sure to learn about the vitally important honeybees that pollinate crops during every growing season, and what they mean to the nation’s food supply. Plus, ask beekeepers why you can store honey for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and it will not spoil.
Travel the backroads of America and stop by a farm stand. Enjoy an ear of fresh sweet corn before it’s too late. Take note again: No farmers. No honeybees. No food.
The DuPage County Fair is another place to go this weekend to learn about farming.  Hours are 8AM-11PM daily through July 28. For complete details about 4-H exhibits and activities, visit www.dupagecountyfair.org/. The DuPage County Fairgrounds are located at  2015 Manchester Road in Wheaton. Phone: (630) 668-6636.
Where’s your favorite farm stand?
RELATED STORY POSTED JULY 27: Honeybees & Pollination
