It's hard to say. It could be due to many things.

1. It could be the variety. You should try and find a variety adapted to your area.

2. It could be due to drought or planted too close together.

3. Your soil might be lacking some good organic matter.

I mostly grow indian corn myself, usually flint types, but i suppose some are dent/flour. The last few years i've planted mine on April 1st whether we were going to have snow or not. Some of mine are always small, and i'm selecting those bad genetics out of my population. Some are doing fantastic though and have huge cobs. All planted in the same conditions and actually planted too close together this year on purpose. Like i said, some are thriving and some are not.

Keen,

Thanks for the response. It's been 3 days since my post, and I think the ears are looking a bit bigger.

I think variety (Johnny's Northstine Dent) & water have been good. They *are* placed a little closer together than is recommended. But I think the biggest factor might be the lack of nitrogen. I'm guessing the corn could have used a couple of shots of nitrogen early in its development prior to tassling. I've also read that the corn might need potassium too.

Anyway, I'm looking forward trying my hand at grinding cornmeal & making cornbread this fall!

Next year, better spacing & nitrogen !