In most areas it’s too late to plant Indian corn but you may want to add this crop to your garden areas next year. Indian corn has been a favorite crop of mine to plant because of its used and its beauty.

photo credit: alecim

Indian corn, also called “Flint” corn, comes in many different colors. It is used primarily for ornamental purposes. But a few varieties are edible and some people buy Indian corn to grind up as flour. Popcorn is also another popular Indian corn variety that is both edible and decorative.

There are many different varieties to choose from. Garden catalogs or the Internet will help you in choosing a variety and colors available.

How to grow Indian corn

It’s best to start growing Indian corn by choosing one variety. Later you may want to grow several varieties.

Buy blue Indian corn if you want to grind up the corn to make blue flour tortillas.  Strawberry Indian corn for popcorn is perfect for ornamental uses and grows to two to three inches. Miniature Indian corn is also great for drafting with and will grow to about six inches.

You will need to start Indian corn as early as possible. Indian corn requires a long growing season of at least three months. The corn needs to mature before the first autumn frosts hit your growing zone.

photo credit: jmuhles

Plant Indian corn at least 100 feet from other types of corn. If you plant several different varieties of corn in the same area, cross-pollination may occur and you might not get the type of corn you planted. I grow several kinds of Indian corn and place them by the barn, garage or row of tress to make sure cross-pollination does not occur.

Grow at least 5 rows of corn. The more rows of Indian corn you grow, the more likely they will pollinate. The rows can even be short, but you need a block of corn to get a better pollination. Corn is wind pollinated, but the closer and you plant corn the better the pollination. And better pollination means a full ear of corn.

Keep the Indian corn well watered during hot summer months. Corn uses a high amount of water for ear production. You may find that using mulch will help retain water in the soil and lead to less watering.

It’s time to harvest the crop after the hair on the corn turns brown. Pull back the husk of the ear of corn slightly and check to see if the corn kernels are formed and full.

Indian corn kernels will likely be all different colors (unless you get a specialty color like blue or red). The kernels should also be firm to the touch and dry. Gently pull down on the “ripe” ear and pop it off the stalk. Hang up the corn for a few days in a warm place to dry. Then it’s ready to use.

When you dry the corn make sure to hang it high so that raccoons or other animals will not be able to reach it.

What I like about Indian corn is you never know what the crop will look like until you peel back the husks. Each ear is like an art piece, colorful and unique.

In a few days there will be an article on making a cornhusk wreath. These wreaths will last for years and add color to your backyard, garden areas and even indoor holiday flair.

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I have had several people asking about tomato and tomatillo crop problems.
photo credit: sleepyneko

Most problems seem to be relating back to the weather. Many places have had irregular weather, either too hot and dry or cold nights.

Without seeing a photo I can only guess but here are a few of the more common tomato and tomatillo problems

1. If few flowers are forming on your tomato plants or the flowers drop before setting fruit, possible causes include:

·    Excess nitrogen
·    Too little sun
·    Nighttime temperatures above 70 degrees F or below 50 degrees F
·    Drought stress

Stress seems to cause more problems to the tomato family than other problems and it’s easy to over look. Here are a few possible solutions to your problems.

Avoid soil amendments with soluble nitrogen and make sure plants get a full day of sunlight. Keep the soil evenly moist throughout the season. Mulch covers on top of the soil around your tomato plants with help keep soil moisture even.

At planting time, use a balanced, granular fertilizer that’s made for tomatoes. During the growing season, treat your plants to a water-soluble fertilizer. I use a compost tea for my tomatoes. If you don’t use compost tea, you can ask for advice at your garden center

2. Dark, concentrically ringed spots that cover the lower leaves and stems are a sign of early blight. To control the spread of blight, you can use an organic Garden Dust, available in most garden centers. It’s also important to not get water on the leaves when watering and not handling plants when they are wet. This will also cause early blight to spread.

3. Water-soaked patches on fruit that turn brown, dry and papery are a sign of late blight. The stems might also have blackened areas. To control late blight, spray plants with compost tea, or follow the same program of control as for early blight.

4. Cracks in fruit are usually caused by uneven watering. This tends to happen the most in late summer if you have a dry hot spell that changes to a cool spell. If you use mulch to keep the soil evenly moist you should not have this problem.

5. Yellowed, distorted and curled leaves are usually a sign of an infestation of aphids. Check for signs of aphids on the undersides of leaves or on new growth. Aphids are easily combated with a strong jet of water or an application of neem oil will get aphids under control

Distorted leaves could also be tobacco mosaic virus. This virus causes young growth to be narrow and twisted. The leaves become mottled with yellow. If your plants have tobacco mosaic virus they will need to be removed and destroyed.

Note: do not add infected plants into a compost pile. It’s best to burn them.

Tomatoes and tomatillos are favorites in many gardens but they do tend to have disease and stress related problems.
photo credit: bhamsandwich

Keep them evenly watered, add fertilizer during the season and keep weeds down around the plants. With a watchful eye, they should grow and produce well.

For more information on how to grow the tomatillo check this link: Garden tips: How to grow the Tomatillo, the Tomatoes cousin

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Any garden should have one fun plant or a focal plant just to add interest to the garden and yard. One of the most unusual plants I have grown is the Easter Egg plant. And yes the fruits do look like small oval Easter eggs. This is an annual plant that is easy to grow and really gets attention.
photo credit: Zelda Go Wild

Living in a zone 5 climate I start my seeds indoors about 6 weeks before I plan to set them out. The seeds started very easily and transplanting them outdoors did not seem to set the plants back at all. Because it’s a unique plant I usually leave two in decorative pots.

The plant and fruit is like an eggplant. There are two varieties of the plant, one grows edible fruit (S. melongena) and the other does not (S. ovigerum) The fruit starts out white and look just like an egg. As the season extends the fruit will mature to deep pastel cream, yellow, orange or possibly green. I have heard a few people say they had a reddish color and purple colored egg.

The plants prefer a sunny, well-drained location. It will grow to 12 to 18 inches tall. You will need to check the plant for mites, but a homemade garlic recipe should keep any insects off the plants. If you plan to harvest seed from the plant let the fruit get overripe, then remove the seeds, wash and dry.

The Easter Easter Egg plant is actually a member of the Potato family, with wide green foliage protecting the fruit, giving the plant a lush look. This plant makes a great accent plant and adds adventure to the garden area as you wait to see what colors you will grow on your unique plant.

Note: Make sure you know for sure if you are growing the edible or inedible Easter egg plant.

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