Hi, I'm Farm to Table Chef Teca Thompson at tecathompson.com. And today, we're talking about how to plant Golden Bantam corn. So, you want to make sure that you start planting at least two weeks after the last frost or when the temperature of the soil is about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, 'cause corn is a warm weather plant and it, other, anything lower than that will not germinate the seeds and the seeds will most likely just rot. So, I've selected an ares in my garden and I've fertilized it and clear it of weeds and aerated the dirt. So, when you do aerating, you're just kind of mixing the dirt like this to make sure that it's all loose and ready for the seeds to go. That way, when they're germinating and starting to sprout, it's easier for the to come up and push towards the sun and it's easier for the roots to start going down and setting in the ground. So, for fertilizer, I use either natural compost which is very good and high in nutrients and I just spread a thick layer over the bed and work it in, like so. Or, you can use something like a blood meal. And blood meal, it's water soluble so you can put it in your water if you like or you can just sprinkle it, about a tablespoonful over the entire area. It's really high in nitrogen which corn thrives on. And then I just work it in with my trowel in the entire area. And once you've prepped the soil, you're ready to plant your corn. So, I'm just going to grab my corn seed and I'm going to plant these seeds about three, four inches apart and about a foot part as far as the row goes. So, I'm just going to make an inch down with my little trowel in, like so. Now, I'll take my corn seed and just place the kernel in each little hole. I think I got more than one in that one; that's okay, it can always be thinned. Okay. And then, I'm just going to cover it with the dirt, making sure they're all covered up and then I'm going to water them into the ground generously, like so. So, you want to choose an area in your garden that's going to get a lot of sunlight. So, it needs about six to eight, six to eight hours of sunlight a day, and then you're going to want to constantly weed and water it. Corn needs about a inch and a half of water per week to properly germinate and to be happy throughout its growing period. And then, you want to make sure also that, oh, if, if you can find an area in your garden that's, has legumes planted in it before, it's very nice and nutrient rich, rich for the corn. So, that's very helpful also. It's the, you plant the corn crop after you plant the legumes or something. So, I'm Farm to Table Chef Teca Thompson at tecathompson.com. That is how to plant Golden Bantam corn. Thank you for watching
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