No-till Sweet Corn

keeter84

Member
I'm in eastern North Carolina and wanted to grow some no till sweet corn. I have a Super C that I plan on using a KMC plate planter with. My plan is to plant some ground has been fallow for sometime, just growing up in pasture grass. I was planning on cover cropping and planting into and then rolling the cover but got started late on that for this year. Has anyone any experience with no till sweet corn?
 
No personal experience other than that corn doesn't like competition at all. If you're not concerned about organic there is Roundup Ready sweet corn available that would give you an option for weed control while going the no-till route. From what I've read the cover crop rolling is typically done before planting so that the seedlings have a "view of the sky" when they emerge and don't have to fight through a layer of mulch.
 
I grow about 10--12 acres of sweetcorn planted in half-acre patches or smaller. Plant first patch about first week of April and last patch about July 1. I have not had good luck with no-till. Sweetcorn is not a vigorous seedling and must have ideal conditions to germinate. And it cannot handle weed competition. Maybe if soil is warm enough and if your planter does a good job, you could get a decent stand. But I still cultivate all mine, and that is hard to do if there is any cover on the ground.
 
I do primarily grow organic veggies and this will be my first year growing corn. However, I have decided not to grow organic corn related to cost/demand in my area. I have enough space to isolate my organics from conventional.

At 10-12 acres I?d say you know a little something about it. Where do you farm and what varieties do you grow?

I have thought of growing Ambrosia, burning down with a premergent and planting narrow spacing. I have also considered the RR BT traited corn, but obviously cost is a huge factor.

I do worry about getting a good seed placement and have thought about running a disk across it before planting. Thanks for the input so far
 
I have a 1 row Kinze unit. I can no-till sweet corn. But has to be RR etc. Seed is mighty high. But I have tilled the ground in the fall so is clean.
Biggest thing is deer and coons. They like it too!
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top