Growing in Bourke

Best time to plant corn in Bourke

Zea mays

Also called Maize, Sweet corn

Sow corn in Bourke in Oct to Jan.

Corn is a big, sturdy grass whose female flower clusters become ears packed with kernels, the part that gets eaten. Sugar-rich sweet corn is the type grown for the table, while field corn goes to livestock and into products such as cornmeal. Most modern kernels are white or yellow, though other colours exist.

When to sow in Bourke

Bourke, NSW is in the arid zone. The zone also plants in Sep, but Bourke's frost dates make those months risky for a frost-tender crop.

Matches local guides.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Bourke

Frost usually arrives in Bourke around early June and finishes by late August. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as late May or as late as late September, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.

From its Bureau of Meteorology station, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: suits a plot

Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly in the bed
Sowing depth
4cm
Plant spacing
60cm
Row spacing
76cm
Height
290cm
Germination
5-15 days, in soil above 12°C (18°C for supersweet types)
Time to harvest
75 days
Frost
Frost tender
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
annual

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Corn elsewhere

Corn across Australia