Oh what a beautiful morning! It’s a great feeling and a great song. But the lyrics are sufficient to convince you to leave corn out of your small garden design. Yep, that’s the song that says “The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye, and it looks like it’s climbin’ clear up to the sky.”

Now that’s a lovely image, but it doesn’t work in a small, urban garden. Combine that with the common wisdom that you need multiple rows to get the plants pollinated, and growing corn gets crossed off the list of garden tasks.

But – to stick with the lyrics theme – “the times they are a-changing.” Today there are several dwarf species that might work well in the backyard garden. We’re here to introduce you.

The Problem with Growing Traditional Corn

Fresh corn on the cob is one of the garden crops emblematic of summer! You pick the largest ears in the garden, pluck them, shuck them, then roast them over the fire. A large ear of ripe corn is almost a meal itself.

But typically, gardeners with small backyards don’t plant this crop. The individual plants tend to grow taller than you are, and some species can achieve a height of 14 feet (4.5 meters) tall. That’s just not practical for someone with an urban garden. Even a few plants would shade out lower sun-loving crops like tomatoes and peppers, and you’ll need more than one or two.

Because all types of corn are largely wind-pollinated, with the breeze carrying pollen from the tassels to the silks, the ideal is to plant corn in block formations. This system increases the chances of pollen reaching the silks. Even if you plant corn tight, an 8-by-8 block will take up at least 21 feet (7m) squared.

New Stalks on the Block

Today, corn in the backyard garden is no longer a pipedream. Several types of corn have been developed that are small enough to grow in a regular, behind-the-house garden. Some corn can be grown in a container on a sunny patio! One is a Burpee special called On Deck Hybrid. The other is a dwarf variety known as Blue Jade Dwarf Sweet Corn.

1. On Deck Hybrid Corn

Burpee has done it again. They’ve developed the first-ever sweet corn you can grow in a container. It’s known as On Deck Hybrid, and specimens never grow above 5 feet (1.5m) tall, yet the delicious, bicolor ears grow to 8 inches long.

This tasty breakthrough bicolor variety grows well on containers. You can plant 18 seeds in a single, 24-inch (.6m) container on your patio. The stalks grow fast, with each one producing two or three ears - while also adding that vertical interest your deck needed. And it’s speedy! The time from planting to grilling is only two months. You can find On Deck corn seeds from Burpee.

2. Blue Jade Dwarf Sweet Corn

Neither you and I would select a corn variety because we like the color of the ears, but I've got to say that the deep silver-blue kernels of Blue Jade Dwarf sweet corn is utterly lovely. They start out white but mature to a steely blue. That blue deepens even more once the corn is cooked. And these ears of blue corn taste as good as they look.

Blue Jade Dwarf sweet corn really are dwarf plants, never growing taller than 4 feet (1.3m). Low-growing and reliable - with each stalk producing two ears - Blue Jade take about 80 days after planting to mature. Harvest the ears when they are blue with a little light-yellow in the kernels. Cobs can only be called cuties, each one about half the size of a standard ear of sweet corn. You can find Blue Jade seeds from Hudson Valley Seed Co.

Other Dwarf Corn Options

There are other dwarf corn options out there that you might want to consider, each with its own characteristics. All of these varieties stay under 5 feet (1.6m) tall and mature in 80 days or less.

• Early Sunglow. Did you know that some corn is sugar-enhanced? Early Sunglow is a dwarf variety that contains a sugar enhancer gene that makes the kernels sweeter and more tender. It’s a dwarf yellow corn that grows 5-6 inch ears with sweet, tender kernels. Count on 60-65 days to mature. Find Early Sunglow corn seeds from Ferry-Morse.
• Bodacious. Bodacious is even smaller than Early Sunglow, the stalks topping out at 3-4 feet (1-1.3m) tall. It's a miniature yellow hybrid corn that grows ears between 6 and 8 inches. Seed to harvest is about 10 weeks. You can find Bodacious sweet corn seeds from Park Seed.
• Peaches & Cream. Here’s a pretty dwarf corn plant. Peaches & Cream is really lovely, growing to 4 feet (1.3m) with bicolored kernels - bright yellow and white. The ears are 7 inches long and take 11 weeks to mature. Peaches & Cream sweet corn seeds can be purchased from Ferry-Morse.