got my soils test and i am ready to fertilize and plant-hopefully this week. i have about 1 acre to plant. is it a good idea to plant sweet corn for some personal consumption or should i stick to field corn? how much seed should i purchase to cover my 1 acre? i do have a small no till unit so i plan on mowing what little vegetation is there fertilize and then plant. the plot was fallow last year so not much currently growing-few sunflowers and weeds.

If you plant sweet corn, make sure it is at least 2 weeks different maturity from your field corn. If they cross pollinate, the sweet corn will likely not taste as good as it could. Raccoons, woodchucks, and other pests also seem to find sweet corn in plots, so you may want a little extra protection around it if possible.

It takes about 35,000 seeds for 1 acre of field corn with 30 inch row spacing. Seed size varies by bag and hybrid, so it is best to let the ag supply store know your plans so they can advise you on seed selection.

While a hybrid corn does give higher yields for a food plot there is nothing wrong with just the use of any shelled corn you can get from a local farmer & is vastly lower in costs. Sounds random perhaps to any who've not tried it, but it works well and saves one heck of a lot of $$. You can also plant with a grain drill if you've not a corn planter, just plug the holes you need to to get a proper row spacing. In fact if you use shelled corn from a local, it handles the mix of rounds and flat seed better.

If you do go with a hybrid this will allow you to ask for a hybrid best suited to your soil, and I'd ask for one that does well in dryer than average conditions.

On the other hand don't skimp on fertilizers. The biggest mistake most make when planting food plots is spending max amounts on seed & putting down more seed than needed, then not using enough fertilizers. Get a soil test done, and then use at least 80% amount of fertilizers recommended & you'll have good results. I'd say 100%, but Kansas still has dry conditions from last year & 80% will do a good job.

While a 30" row spacing is ideal, as suggested by Soilman, 36" is not a issue for food plots. I would suggest you ask the local ag shop what the best seed count is for your area per acre & not exceed it. Different soils & soil conditions can alter ideal seed counts a good deal, though Kansas has pretty good soils overall.

Also due to the lingering effects from last years very dry year in Kansas, you may do best with a 80% seed count to reduce stress if this year remains dry. Better a slightly thinner stand of crop with better production per stalk than a max planting that is stunted due to lack of moisture & thus tiny ears of corn. Pleae note I said "better", if it is as dry as last year.......not good. If you get the needed moisture, then you'll have plenty of food & still a pretty good plant count for cover purposes.

first planting failed-cold & wet. according to farmers in the area they are replanting as the seed routed in the ground. i replanted last saturday. i got rain that night. anxious to see what happens. i know its late for corn but i had to try. i will be planting soy beans in some other plots fairly soon. waiting to see what the local farmers do.

Good luck. There are a lot of acres of corn waiting to be planted up north here in MN and WI. You should be OK if we have a "normal" summer. The deer will not care if you get 130 bu/a instead of 150.

[quote=craig] While a hybrid corn does give higher yields for a food plot there is nothing wrong with just the use of any shelled corn you can get from a local farmer & is vastly lower in costs. Sounds random perhaps to any who've not tried it, but it works well and saves one heck of a lot of $$. You can also plant with a grain drill if you've not a corn planter, just plug the holes you need to to get a proper row spacing. In fact if you use shelled corn from a local, it handles the mix of rounds and flat seed better. "

Get in touch with someone in NWTF or Pheasants Forever. I bought an 80,000 seed bag of roundup ready hybrid corn for $10 (normally this bag sells for around $200). Its coming up great. RR takes care of weeds for cheap (buy generic roundup) and thus increases yield because you can quickly address weed issues.




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