vegetable · Poaceae

Sweet corn

Zea mays var. saccharata

A space-intensive warm-season crop that must be planted in a block for reliable wind pollination.

Difficulty3 / 5
Cold toleranceTender
Space per plant~1.00 ft²
ContainerUsually no
Supportnone
Household planning

How many sweet corn plants?

A normal fresh-eating goal with the catalog loss buffer. Preservation needs and appetite can raise the count.

1 adult8–169 typical plants
2 adults15–3218 typical plants
4 adults30–6436 typical plants
Adjust household, appetite, preserving, and loss →
Season timing

When does it go in?

Typical first action1 weeks after last frost
Maturity range60–95 days
Harvest window5–14 days
Latest planting buffer100 days before fall frost

Dates are frost-relative planning windows. Soil temperature, current weather, plant condition, and cultivar instructions can move them.

Calculate dates from my frost date →
Space and harvest

What does one plant ask for?

In-row spacing8–12 in
Between rows24–36 in
Yield range0.5–1.1 count
Yield confidencemedium

Yield ranges assume a surviving plant and still vary with cultivar, soil, sun, weather, pests, watering, and harvest habits.

Container fit

Give this crop a bed when possible.

The normal vine or canopy footprint is too large for Gardiv to recommend a conventional home container.

Size a container for several plants →