SCHEDULING SWEET CORN PLANTINGS
THE EASY WAY
by using plant maturity

Developed by Hank Bissell of Lewis Creek Farm in Starksboro Vermont
With a grant from the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers' Association

Lewis Creek Farm Sustainable Agriculture at Lewis Creek Farm Farm Employment at Lewis Creek Farm	YOU KNOW THE PROBLEM If you grow sweet corn commercially, you know that one of the biggest problems with sweet corn growing and marketing is when several plantings "Bunch up" and are all ready at the same time. At times like this you have too much corn for your regular markets and you drop your price to try to move more volume, most often to no avail. You probably didn’t sell all your corn, and you probably took a rotten price for it. Talk about adding insult to injury.	Avoid having your sweet corn "all ripen at once". Let the maturity of the corn you've already planted tell you when to make your next planting.
Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers' Association	YOU’VE HEARD OF THE SOLUTION If you’ve been growing sweet corn for very long, you’ve probably heard about scheduling sweet corn plantings using growing degree days, and that it’s alleged to solve the problem of plantings bunching up. BUT YOU’RE NOT USING IT You may even have heard a presentation or read an article about how to apply this method on your own farm. But for some reason… you’re not using it…and I would guess that is because it sounds a bit like you need a team of NASA scientist to collect data and execute the daily calculations of transpired growing degree days since your last planting of corn

The chart below will link you to a series of photographs which make up a "Plant Maturity Scale". You can use this scale to determine when you should seed your next planting of sweet corn. By using this method you will avoid having several plantings all ripen at once. See steps one, two and three above to use this chart correctly.

BASIC PROCEDURE:
1) You plant your first planting of the variety group.
2) Watch the plants in that planting. You're looking for the "early majority" of the plants in that planting to reach the specified growth stage.
3) When your first planting has reached the specified growth stage, it’s time for you next planting.
4) Continue with the same procedure for subsequent plantings.

BE PATIENT IN MAY
You will find that early plantings in May (cool weather) are exasperatingly far apart and that plantings in June (Hot weather) are alarmingly close together. Relax, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

NOTE 1
Once you've found the photo showing the stage of maturity that will tell you it's time to make your next planting, take a good look at the photos and descriptions of the stages that come before it. This will help you reccognize the subtile differences in maturity, and help you anticipate the stage that you're waiting for. Those of us who have used the system much have come to realize that it's hard to find out that today is the day to make your next planting of corn, and to actually get it done today as well.

NOTE 2
Plantings after June 25
Plantings seeded after June 25 most likely ripen after Labor Day. In a very cool year they might not even beat the first frost in September. Proceed with caution.

NOTE 3
Growing degree days after September 1 accumulate more slowly.
Plantings seeded after June 25 can be harvested over a longer period of time, because the GDD in September accumulate increasingly slowly. in addition, in most situations demand is lower as well after Labor Day, so plan accordingly.

NOTE 4
Plantings seeded after July 4th will not ripen before the first frost.

NOTE 5
All this talk about dates and fall frosts is for Starksboro Vermont where the last spring frost is about May 20 and the first fall frost is about September 27.