Guide to Growing baby corn in containers: Growing baby corn in containers in your garden space is really enthusiastic as it is a healthy vegetable. But the fact is that baby corn grows well in containers too. You can even grow a dozen of seeds in small pot. The roots get anchored deep into the earth. The soil be fertilized with lots of nitrogen in the soil.
A step by step guide to growing baby corn in containers, pots
Baby corn grows in a little space and is very easy to grow. Baby corn is very delicious and nutritious and few people will eat raw and even as a main dish or simply as a stir-fries. But they are very costly in the market. Growing these in your garden gets you the immense satisfaction and even saves your money.
Germinating baby corn in pots or containers
The following are the ways to start growing the baby corn in pots or containers-
- The seed trays are used to germinate in numerous smaller pots.
- First plant the area with seeds with a space 1-1.5 in diameter.
- Make a small hole in the mud of the pot and put 2-3 seeds in those holes. This is called backup seed as few seeds does not germinate, hence the second seedling would germinate.
Growing baby corn seedlings after germination
You need to consider the following points while you grow baby corn in the pots.
Temperature for growing corn
Baby corn grows in the hot and sunny i.e., at 40-45°C in the warmest sunniest spot in your garden area. After germination place the germinated pots in the hot and sunny areas. Later you can change them into larger pots after they grow 4 plus inches in height.
Moisture content for growing corn
Mix the mud with the peat and other mixture to retain moisture in the mud. It requires lots of moisture as it grows well in hot sunny area.
Soil type suitbale for corn
Baby corn grows well in the loamy soils and planting in this soil is very easy. These soils helps in healthy root formation and you need to water them heavily.
Choosing baby corn variety
You need to choose a dwarf variety of corn that does not exceed 4 to 5 feet in height. These include short stemmed trinity and sweet painted corns.
Sowing the corn seeds
Sow 4-6 seeds per pot just one inch deep in the pot mud and then cover them with thin layer of soil. Mulching around the corn in the pot to retain or to hold moisture.
Container preparation for growing corn
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Baby corn requires block planting to ensure pollination so that the container which you choose must be large enough for at least 2 to 3 rows of plants. Large storage tubs or bins can be used along with drain holes drilled in the bottom works well for growing them. Place two or three bricks in the bottom of the container or the large pot, taking care not to block the holes as it is the main source for air passage, to weigh down the container so that it doesn’t tip over from the tall plants above it. Mixing a high-nitrogen fertilizer 10-5-5 blend along with the peat and soil before planting initiates proper and healthy growth of the plants. It is better to follow the instructions to add the amount of fertilizer recommended on the label based on the size of your container.Get containers having dimensions of 24-by-36-inch container, so that you can fit 3 rows in it.
Container baby corn varieties
Recently, a few seed companies are selling specialized, container corn seeds to grow in your space. These varieties aremeant specifically for pots or containers to be cultivated. From Burpee’s On Deck to Gurney’s Utopia varieties, these are specifically designed by keeping containers in mind. But unfortunately, these varieties of corn which are specifically designed for containers are not often compatible in organic or natural gardening.
Seed treatment of corn
Gurney’s corn seeds are treated with pesticides and fungicides to provide resistance to the plant, so if you are planning to grow safe, edible, and sustainable corn plants, then it’s better to choose other variety. Burpee’s On Deck seeds are still GMO free but not organic, so do not seem to be treated with chemicals.Look at the better variety that you trust and are compatible with container gardening, so that they are specially meant for growing in containers to get the better yield.
Care for the corn plants
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Follow the below points to make your plant grow well in the pots or the containers.
- Water the plants every other day to maintain good moisture content.
- Add fertilizer to the plants after sowing and about 10 weeks later.
- You can harvest after 60-100 days when you can see the corn grown.
Common diseases and pests found in baby corn plants
The common diseases found in baby corn are Anthracnose, Cercospora leaf spot, Charcoal rot, Common rust, Common smut, Downy Mildew disease, Giberrella stalk and ear rot, Northern Leaf Blight, Bacterial leaf blight, Bacterial Leaf Streak disease, Bacterial stalk rot, Goss’s bacterial blight etc. these can be controlled by using or treating the seeds with pest control and other chemicals to avoid the further damage to the plants. Choosing a variety which is resistant to all these can also reduce the problem with pests.
Harvesting of baby corn grown in pots or containers
The only difficult thing about growing baby sweet corn in containers or pots lies during the harvesting time because it is essential toknow the exact timing to harvest. If you leave baby corn to grow more than the harvesting time it does not grow into a standard corn it just turns into a hard unpleasant baby corn. In other words, timing is of the essential one during harvesting and when picking baby corn and it’s important to get it at right time to enjoy your harvested fruit at home.
As summer moves on, the rapidly growing baby sweet corn plants will start to produce a small tiny baby corn heads growing at the leaf-bases of corn plants, keep an eye carefully on them. Observe them carefully every day for their growth and aim to pick them when they are around 6 inches height in length and make sure that you do not allow them to grow more than 8 inches to get better and tasty baby corns.
When your corn heads reaches above 6 inches in size, then gently pull the heads downwards where they should snap cleanly off your plant and even though you may lose a few leaves off your plant while doing this process of harvesting from the plants grown in pots. This is normal and a casual thing so you need not worry about. As you peel away the outer leaves of the harvested corn you will be surprised to see the tiny baby corns inside it, which will be very compact.
Finally you have grown your baby corns in your home that too in a less space in container. As you can find picking the own fresh, organic, home-grown baby corn grown in the containers or pots makes you feel so enthusiastic and on an almost daily basis you will surely realize that the tiny investment made in growing these baby corns will bring back your money invested before on buying the baby corns. But you can feel the freshness and can consume the crispy, fleshy organic baby corns grown in containers or pots at your home.
The above information can be applied to growing baby corn on terrace, growing baby corn in balcony, growing baby corn in backyard, growing baby corn indoors, growing baby corn in polyhouse, growing sweet corn at home, growing mokkajonna in pots, growing corn in raised beds, growing baby corn in buckets, growing baby corn outdoors in pots. You may be interested in Pollinating Vegetable Gourds by Hand.