Can you Sow & Grow Sweetcorn in Raised Beds?

Sweetcorn has been growing successfully in my raised beds for the past 3 years. Yes, you can grow your own Sweetcorn in Raised Beds in a small garden.

Sweetcorn – 12 plants with calendula flowers

Sowing Sweetcorn

It’s May in the east of the UK and time to sow Sweetcorn and I’ve got to be quick and sow it before the end of May.

Sweetcorn takes 4 months to grow from seed to harvest.

Last year I soaked the sweetcorn seed before planting to get a quicker germination time and it’s worked, so I’ll be doing this again this week. I sow my sweetcorn in Root Trainers which are deep cell trays and they give the roots a lot of room to form. Strong roots = healthy plants.

Root Trainers are great for Sweetcorn as it hates having its roots disturbed when planting outside in the ground.

If you haven’t got root trainers, use a 9cm diameter pot. One pot per seed.

In May, soaked seeds can be sown directly into the ground, but I never seem to have much luck with this method, so I’ll be sowing in modules first and then planting outside.

Tassels formed at top of plant

Sowing Sweetcorn

Sow Month: April to May in UK & Zones 8-9 in USA.

Sow In Cells or Pots: April to May,

Sow direct in the ground: May.

You will need:

• A bowl and water to soak the seeds,
• Deep pots like root trainers or 9cm diameter pots,
• Multi-purpose compost,
• A pencil or dibber, &
• At least 9 sweetcorn seeds.

You will need to plant out Sweetcorn: Raised Beds or a border that’s 1 metre square.

Sowing Instructions

1. Soak seeds 1 hour before sowing.
2. Fill 9 pots or deep cells with compost.
3. Make a hole with a pencil or dibber that is 1 inch deep.
4. Drop your soaked sweetcorn seed in the hole.
5. Cover with compost.
6. Water well.
7. Put in an unheated greenhouse to germinate. Keep watered when soil is dry.
8. Germination days 3-10.
9. Sow at least 9 sweetcorn seeds as you will need to make a block for pollination.

How does Sweetcorn Pollination work?

No bees or insects required here, pollination is carried out by wind!

Yep that’s right, wind. This is why Sweetcorn plants will need to be planted in a grid of approx 1 meter square which contains 9 plants.

When the plants reach at least 5 foot tall, they will start producing tassels on the top of the plant. The tassels contain the pollen which flakes off and falls down the plant.

The cobs leaves or silks are at a 45 degree angle which is perfect to act like a scoop and the pollen falls into the leaves. As long as the pollen falls into the leaves by the stem, the pollination process begins.

This means that the yellow sweetcorn cobs will form inside the leaves and they will swell once the core is formed and the yellow sweetcorn seeds grow.

Next Steps

PLANT OUTSIDE – May–Jun– Plant Sweetcorn Plants outside in a Raised Bed with video.

TIMELINE – May to July – Sweetcorn Growing Update – July

HARVEST – Sept – September Harvests