How to Hoe Corn

Many vegetable gardens have a few rows of corn.

Corn developed from a wild grass called teosinte around 7,000 years ago. The cultivation of corn spread into the Southwestern United States and Peru before being introduced to eastern North America by the migrating Woodland Indians about 1,000 years age. Corn, also called maize, became a staple food crop of the Indians living all over North and South America. The ancient farmers cultivated their corn crops with stone-bladed hoes. A successful corn crop depends on proper weed control by hoeing or other means.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Oil

Instructions

1. Plant a crop of sweet corn, popcorn or Indian corn in a well-tilled sunny part of the garden. Space the rows about 2 feet apart and leave enough room between the plants to allow hoeing. Start hoeing as soon as the weed seedlings emerge. Hoe out the nuisance plants when they are small and before they grow extensive root systems. Use a standard paddle-type garden hoe with a single-piece head and a hickory or ash handle.

2. Start hoeing early in the morning on a sunny day to ensure the weeds die and don't re-root. Hoe when the soil is dry. Dig deep with your hoe around the corn seedlings. Chop and till the soil to kill pre-emergent weed seedlings. Protect the corn's root system by using your hoe to scrape the surface of the ground right next to the corn plants to slice off the weeds at ground level.

3. Stand in an upright position while hoeing to prevent strain on your back. Make sure your hoe's handle is long enough so you don't have to bend over to use it. Hoe the area thoroughly as far as you can reach before moving on. Start at one end of a row and methodically work through the corn patch. Work the hoe with a regular chopping stroke, pulling the hoe toward you in short, quick motions.

4. Hoe your corn crop throughout the season to cultivate the soil and remove weeds. Break up the soil's crust and work it around with your hoe blade to allow better air circulation and to prevent water runoff. Protect the corn's wide shallow root system by scraping or hand-pulling weeds that are directly adjacent to the corn stalks. Use your hoe to break up large dirt clods for a better soil texture.

5. Sharpen your hoe's blade with a rasp or file to cut the larger and better established mid-season weeds. Secure the hoe in a vise with the cutting-blade edge pointing up. Hold the file at a 30- to 45-degree angle to the blade. Use long, smooth strokes to bevel the hoe's edge. Dig up larger weeds with your sharpened hoe, then chop them up and make sure the roots are cut off.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear gloves while hoeing to prevent blisters.

• Wipe your hoe blade with oil to keep it from rusting.

• Be careful around a sharp hoe blade.

• Don't hoe on a rainy or overcast day.

References

• Camp Silos: Many Kinds of Corn
• Texas Gardener; Specialty Garden Hoes; Skip Richter
• Garden Action: Why, When and How to Use A Hoe