Hi, I’m Farm to Table chef Teca Thompson, at TecaThompson.com. And today, we’re talking about how to grow corn and keep worms out naturally. So, first I’m going to plant some corn. So, I’ve cleared a spot in my garden, and then I fertilized it and made it free of weeds. So, I only use natural fertilizer in my garden, so what I did is used a healthy layering of organic compost, and then spruced that up with some blood meal, and blood meal is a natural nutrient-rich nitrogen-based fertilizer that I’ve spread all over my entire garden. So, after I’ve done that and I prepped it, I’m going to just take my garden seed and a little stick and just make about one-inch-down holes that I can pop my seed in. And, I’m going to put them about six inches apart in my garden, and make the rows about a foot apart. Alright, and then I’m going to take my corn, put it in my holes, like so. Sometimes, you just have to give them a little push to get them down in there. And then, I’m just going to cover those up with dirt, making sure not to displace the corn seed. And then, I’m going to water it generously. So, now we’re going to talk about how to keep worms away. Worms usually want to appear once the silk has pollinated and the corn starts making its kernels, because they’re after that sweet rich corn. So, one is a naturally-occurring bacteria called bacillus thuringiensis, and this would be considered a biological pesticide. So, you can get it at your local home and garden store or online, and you’ll just want to buy it in liquid form and put it in a spray bottle, and you just want to spray it over your already-pollinated silks at the bottom of your cornstalk. And, you want to just spray them on until they’re covered lightly, and you’re done! Okay, so, another which is really good is using mineral oil or light vegetable oil, and you can apply it in the same exact way. You’re just going to put it in a spray bottle. Now, you just want to make sure that the corn has already pollinated itself, which means that the male has already pollinated the female, which is the silk. The tassel has pollinated the silk, and you can tell this by the silk already being kind of this brown, dried-out color. So, we’re just going to take the mineral oil application, and we’re going to just spray it on the silk much in the same way, like so. And, that will keep the worms away. I’m Farm to Table chef Teca Thompson, at TecaThompson.com. Today, we are talking about growing corn and keeping worms away naturally. Thank you for watching.
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