How to Calculate Corn Seed Spacing

Proper planting and spacing is a crucial part of getting a good corn harvest. If you plant the corn seeds too close together, they'll have to compete for light and nutrients, and yields will be low. Planting corn too far apart means that the plants won't be able to pollinate each other, resulting in no yield. The minimum area required for a successful corn harvest is typically a 4-foot-by-12-foot area.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Carpenter's tape measure
• 4 stakes
• String (optional)
• Trowel or shovel

1. Use the carpenter's tape measure to block out an area that is at least 4 feet across and 12 feet long. The 4-foot sides should be oriented north-to-south for optimal sun exposure. Place a small stake at each corner of the area and, if necessary, join the stakes with the string to provide extra visibility.

2. Use the trowel or shovel to scrape out a thin furrow, between 1 and 2 inches deep, where you'll plant each row of corn. The furrows should run north-to-south and be spaced about three feet apart within the area you measured off.

3. Plant your corn seeds depending on how fast they mature. Early maturing corn, or early cultivars, can be planted eight inches apart in the row, while late-maturing varieties need between nine and 12 inches between each plant. Don't plant the corn seeds any closer to each other than six inches. Drop a seed or two into the furrows at the appropriate spacing, working from one end across to the other.

4. Shift the displaced soil back into the furrows, covering the planted corn seed.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to grow a larger patch of corn, extend the 4-foot side of the enclosure. This, in effect, lengthens the rows. To tell whether your corn seeds are early or late cultivars, check the seed packaging for time to harvest. Early cultivars typically take up to about 72 days to mature; late cultivars typically take 83 days or longer.

References

• University of Missouri Extension Service
• University of Minnesota Extension Service
• Delta Farm Press