My friend rycamor writes:
Check this out: I figured I would try to do something useful with the rest of that leaf mulch (a one-year-old pile of leaves), so I just raked it out to a 10×20′ space and scattered the Red Flint corn in there.
I’ve literally watered it only once. The corn just took off. Apparently it loves that loose leaf mulch soil. Pulled a couple up and the roots
are already over 6″ long.
Amazing. Now I wonder if I would have success growing corn in mulch out in my food forest. The kids threw some beans out there and they look pretty good.
Large-seeded species are pretty forgiving.
5 responses to “Growing corn in mulch”
What a great idea…Lord knows I've enough leaf mulch to use. BTW, corrected an oversight on my part and now have you linked. Sorry it took so long.
No problem at all – thank you.
BTW, if you'll notice in the top picture there is an avocado tree on the top left and right. They have each grown 6" over the past 3 months in that mulch. Also, I piled up a little extra mulch around the left tree and planted potatoes, which are doing quite well. I've become a big believer in leaf mulched soil, at least for some plants.
My considerate neighbors have been bagging up their raked leaves and leaving them out on the curb for me to drag home in my wheelbarrow. Isn't that nice of them? I've been piling them up in my citrus grove, but the new milpa area is next!
Very nice of them. I also like the brown paper bags they provide for my sheet mulching projects.