Corn and relatives - The Manual of Seed Saving - page 116

Hand pollination of corn . Pollination:
Note : Pollen that has been rained upon and sticks together is no longer useful. Rebag tassels (tassels
produce pollen for 10 to 14 days, the same length as the female flowering period) and try again.
GROWING FOR SEED Corn is grown for seed more or less like it is grown for eating. Sow seed when
it is typically sown in gardens in your area (local farmers may use early-planting varieties that can be
planted earlier than most open-pollinated varieties). Even if the growing season is long enough in your
area to produce ripe seed from seeds sown outdoors after the last frost, it may still be worth it to start
seed indoors to prevent planted seeds from being picked from the soil by birds. Seeds can usually be
started in mid to late spring and planted out after the danger of frost has passed. Plant at wider planting
distances than is seen in field corn. Plant at even wider distances if hand pollination is planned so you
will have enough space to move between plants in the patch. Most old varieties tiller (produce side
shoots); remove these. Plant in 2 ft. (60 cm) rows, 12-14 in. (30-35 cm) spacing within the row. Hill
up soil around base of plants once or twice in early summer. When hand pollination is not being used,