Iochief is one of the older hybrids. It has been popular among farmers and gardeners for decades and for good reason. It’s not the best sweet corn available but is a reliable and consistent producer.
Part of it value lies in its ability to produce and retain high quality corn under adverse conditions. It is drought resistant as well as being tolerable, not resistant, just tolerable of inundating rains, that doesn’t mean it’s gonna survive a deluge, but it does withstand extremes of weather for limited periods and still produces quality sweet corn.
With the droughts being experienced in some parts of the country in recent years it makes a good choice for those areas. Iochief takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
It is a standard sweet [Su] – late producing variety good for fresh eating but even better for canning and freezing. The ears range from 8 to 9.5 inches in length and have 16 to 20 rows of kernels per ear.
The sturdy stalks that stand up to hurricane force winds reach about 7 feet in height and produce 2 ears of corn each.
Corn Should be planted in blocks as opposed to rows and should not be planted near other varieties of Corn [See – Isolating Sweet Corn.] Cross pollination tends to produce poor tasting starchy corn.
Iochief Corn can be seeded directly into the soil, or it can also be started indoors and later transplanted. Whichever mode you choose, Plant it in blocks, at least four rows wide, for proper pollination and well-filled ears
Sowing depth Aprox. 1.5 – 2 inches
Germination 6 to 8 days
Maturity at 85 – 90 days.
Color – Yellow
Seed Spacing – 8 to 10 inches apart.
Row spacing – 3 – 3.5 feet
USDA Hardiness Zones 3- 9
Plant Size 6 – 8 Feet Tall
Ear Size – 8 – 9.5 Inches Long
Full Sun
Average Yields per Sq. Footage.
Corn has shallow roots, and uses a lot of nitrogen as well as trace elements. To help your crop get off to the best start possible, prepare the soil first with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Well rotted manure or compost is also helpful.
Plant in the northern side of the garden as corn stalks will deny sunlight to the rest of your garden crops ,you also might want to grow some where it will provide shade to plants that can not tolerate full sunlight.