In the Field: Planting Corn

Sweet corn, flour corn, and popcorn are being squeezed into the field and many varieties of each. Perhaps less sweet corn will be grown this year than in year's past in order to accommodate space for a wide array of flour corns which were a great success in the 2008 season. The types and colors of corn flours will be expanded this season to include pink and green and more yellows and blues. There are so many kinds to try and only so much land to use at this time...


The image above is a handful of the Hopi Pink flour corn seed as it is prepared for planting. A few imperfect kernels had to be plucked out of the seed to insure a good pure crop. Also considerable is the placement of these many corn varieties in the field. If grown at the same time and in the same vicinity to each other varieties may cross thereby creating problems with the ability to save seed down the road.


Wayne drives the tractor, Lee follows along to be sure the seed hoppers do not clog or run out and that the seeds are properly spaced and at the right depth, Kara follows along as field record keeper and makes notes of what goes where as planting decisions are made.