Protecting corn plants from wind

My veggie garden is in an area that can occasionally get pretty windy. Most of the crops do just fine but corn is particularly susceptible to the wind.

I have to say that there is nothing quite so depressing as having a really great-looking patch of corn one day, then have it all snapped off at ground level and lying in a heap the next. This has happened a few times in my garden over the years, and the last time it happened several years ago, I vowed not to let it happen again.

So here’s what I do each year:

Once the corn plants are about 14-18″ tall, I pound in stakes at each of the corners of my corn bed. Then I grab a ball of twine and run a line of it around the perimeter of the bed at a height of about 12 inches. After the plants grow a bit more, I repeat the process — but this time, about a foot or so higher than the previous time. I do this one more time, once the plants are about 4 feet tall.

Corn plants have very short, stubby roots that don’t hang on so well in a big windstorm. That’s why I surround the bed with twine so that when the wind starts to blow, the plants have a little something to lean on so they don’t blow all the way over. And it works great.

It just takes a few minutes and is well worth the effort. By the way, I took the above photo this morning and as you can see, the corn is nearly 5 feet tall already! I have high hopes for a good corn harvest this summer. I’ll keep you posted…