Hi Amelie,

You should be able to grow some corn in a 2'X8' bed. If you really only want the corn for corn on the cob, then you should probably go with the sweet corn. I did read that Bloody Butcher can be used like a sweet corn when very young, and I'd probably do it and like it fine. But I doubt that it would be as sweet as what your hubby is accustomed to. This kind of corn would probably be best for corn meal or grits. I looked in my Seed Savers Exchange yearbook and did find two people who claim that it is usable for corn on the cob.

You could plant mainly sweet corn and just two "hills" of Bloody Butcher, if you want to try it. By "hill" I mean 3 to 4 seeds in a group and I'd recommend that you place the two hills about 24" apart. That should give you adequate pollination to see what this corn can do.

I read that Bloody Butcher matures dry seed in 110 to 120 days. If you plant it simultaneously with an early sweet corn they shouldn't cross pollinate. You can then enjoy your sweet corn and still get some Bloody Butcher to try. Plant the taller variety on the North side of the bed, if the bed mainly runs East & West. This will avoid shading the shorter variety. Once you've grown them once, you'll be able to see in your mind's eye, how they will grow in the future, and you'll be able to plan more easily. Remember to give enough room to the tomatoes so that they are not shaded and so you can get in there to pick them.

George
Tahlequah, OK

2 x 8 sounds awful small to me. You will want to hand pollinate the ears to get a decent crop.

Can field corn & sweet corn be planted in the same area of a garden? I read above that carn can cross pollinate. An if it does could it reduce the flavor of the corn? Thank you, oma