I think the minimum is 25, in a 5x5 block formation

plan on 1 ear per plant, so plant lots!!!

I've seen a hill (group planting) of only 4 produce before. But if I was trying to grow corn, and was really pressed for space, I'd probably do at least as much as ristau5741 mentions. I also agree with suggestion "plant lots!" If you can, you probably won't be sorry.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Last year I planted a block of corn in my square foot garden. I hand pollinated it just to make sure.... like I said, I only grew but 16 stalks (1 plant per square foot) most of which had only 1 ear of corn. None of it made it to the kitchen though. That was the absolute sweetest corn -- I had a raw ear of corn for a snack/treat every afternoon when I went out to the garden :-)

Judy

Here is a link that might be useful: Ft2Garden.com

A clever farmer named Gene Logsdon said to grow three varieties of sweet corn if you have the room, an early, a mid-season and a late variety. Plant the early corn as soon as the leaves on the oak trees are the size of a squirrel's ear (!), then plant the mid-season one 10 days later, then plant the late one 10 days later than the mid-season.

Then you can go 'grazing' in the corn like Judy does, but for longer!

Sue

Belgianpup, I'm planning on 3 varieties, hopefully with the maturity dates they're early, mid and late season varieties. The details are under this post http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg01115545524.html?8

Anyway, I hope to plant enough for my family, but I'm guessing it won't be nearly enough, but I'm limited on space if you see by my attached diagram.

Sinfonian

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden in progress...

Corn is self pollinating, so the literal answer to your question is one plant is all that is required to produce corn. Depending on light, fertility, and moisture, sweet corn will usually produce between 1-2 ears per plant. Planting corn in a group/block will help insure pollination because because wind direction is less likely to move pollen away from a single row of plants.

To gain experience in how it does for you, figure your family size, how many ears will be consumed at a meal, and how many meals of corn you want, then plant that many seeds + 10% for a bit of safety. If some of the plants produce 2 ears, you will have a bonus. Adjust the number next year based on the first year's experience.

You could plant hills of 4-6 seeds in the back of the beds against the wall and you would probably do fine. By putting them in the back, the corn won't shade the rest of the plants you put in the beds.

Block planting is very important. Planting a single line (or even two) of corn is a waste of time and effort (and nutrients -- corn is a nutrient hog).

I won't go into the awful, embarrassing details, but I've done both.

And I'm sure corn isn't self-pollinated. Wind-pollinated, yes...

Here is some info on corn pollination from OH State U: "Pollen of a given plant rarely fertilizes the silks of the same plant. Under field conditions 97% or more of the kernels produced by each plant are pollinated by other plants in the field." (More interesting info here: http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0128.html

Sue

I've had great success with 5 5' rows of corn. Make sure you put down some compost or manure, water, feed twice weekly with miracle grow. I recommend the varieties "Kandy Korn" and "Sugar Dots".

If you're not planting very much corn, then hand-pollination is ridiculously easy and effective. Do it over the course of several days when the tassels are dusty. I usually just pick one branch off of a tassel and use that, then another branch later on, and so on.

Tcstoehr, can you provide more detail on hand-pollinating? I'm planting a small amount of corn for the first time and would like to know how to do it.

Thanks.

When you see silks on the ears, Take a brown paper bag (i use a grocery paper bag) and gently lean the tassel(top part of the corn stalk) and shake it's pollen into the paper bag. Then just shake the pollen you have in the bag onto the ear silks every day for about a week i imagine.

Well, I am a newbie.When I first planted my veggie garden I sowed indoors a couple of sweet corns as my garden was not yet made and I wanted to get an early start. I very cautiously transplanted the seedlings and checked them daily.
Despite being covered with cloches all succumbed to cutwirms except one plant. I gave up all hope but did not pull it out of the ground as I still wanted to watch it grow.I was surprised when one day I saw a mature ear on it. I had not hand pollinated and none of my neighbours are into veggie gardening. So, I guess it had self pollinated.

Clouches will not stop cutworms. Get rid of ALL grass in the garden. They love it. Make some paper collars or put a small stick beside each stalk (toothpick size is all that's needed). They have to encircle the stalk to cut it.
Tom

Chickens LOVE cutworms! Sometimes I will dig up a garden area, surround it with 24" tall wire mesh* and put the chickens in it with a margarine tub of water, and let them do some bug harvesting and tilling.

*When I bought my chickens (Buff Orpingtons), I chose the breed because they were gentle and not fly-in-your-face birds, and because they are a heavier breed, which doesn't fly much. A two-foot fence keeps them in very nicely. Some days I have just dragged their fencing along an area I wanted them to clean up with them still in it. Simple. Easy. Effective.