# Field Corn: when and how do I harvest?



## Sunbee (Sep 30, 2008)

Well, I've been lurking hereabouts for a while, and finally decided to join up. So of course I've got questions. I tried searching but maybe didn't pick the right words.
I've got this patch of Painted Mountain corn, which according to its advertising is supposed to be the sort I can grind for cornmeal and feed to the chickens. We got snow in June, frost in July, and a really hard frost in early September just as the corn was tasseling, that finally killed the leaves.
I thought there wouldn't be any corn, so I picked an ear from the end of the patch and opened it up just to see before I put the chicken run there. Well, there were about ten nice fat kernels (lousy polination, I know). They tasted pretty sweet, which I didn't expect.
All the folks who've lived here a long time (our first summer here) say this year was exceptionally weird weatherwise. So I'd like to save some of the seeds to plant next year. I doubt I've got enough for either the chickens or cornmeal this year. The patch is about 12 feet by 4 rows, but one of the middle rows didn't hardly come up at all.
How do I know if the corn is ready to pick? And then what do I do with it? I suppose I could buy more seed next year, but if I've got some I can save, I'd really rather not. There are so many other interesting looking plants in the catalogs I could spend my money on . . .


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## Phantomfyre (Jul 1, 2004)

I haven't actually ever harvested corn for seed, but no one else has answered this, so here goes. You'll have to wait until the ears are dry to harvest seed. The stalk and husk will dry out and turn brown. When everything is totally dead and dry, pick the ears off the stalks and shell the corn off the cobs. Store it in a cool, dry, dark place until next spring.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Just curious...what is painted mountain corn? Is it the same thing as Indian corn?

Happy to see that you have sign up, and posting!!!

Clove


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## Sunbee (Sep 30, 2008)

Thanks so much. The ears were pointing down towards the ground so we picked them and husked them--the husks were full of earwigs that the chickens really enjoyed--and now I am letting them sit and dry. The stalks were dead and brown, except for those that were red, but damp, thanks to the weather. I decided we had to get it picked because of the rain coming in.
I got it from Johnny's, according to their copy it was developed by someone in Montana and is a short season field corn. You can probably find it on their website. The seeds were all different colors but it seems like mainly the red seeds came up: there aren't many blue, yellow, and purple kernels on the ears, and there are a lot of ears that are only red. The kernels are still kind of soft. I guess I will try sprouting a few inside after they've dried and see if they're viable.
I guess I can say at least the chickens got the earwigs to eat, and feed's not all that expensive since they're young and not laying, and maybe next year the corn will do better. This was our first garden in this town, so we're learning.
The potatos and greens did pretty well--but the deer ate more greens than we did.
Is there any trick to shelling corn? I know how to plant it and all, but my folks only ever grew sweet corn, so the field corn's a new adventure.


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