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Description: The top image is corn being grown under biodegradable plastic in Scotland. The bottom image is of the tractor equipped to sow the corn and cover the rows with plastic sheeting to act like a greenhouse. This allows short season corn to be grown successfully in cool nothern climates with fewer growing degree days.The corn is planted early and only about 1/2 inch deep into a dry seedbed before covering the rows with a clear polyethylene film (plastic) about 3 feet wide, laying it directly on the soil. The edges and ends of the plastic need to be anchored to prevent the plastic covering from blowing away. The covering warms the soil around the seeds allowing the corn to germinate quickly. As the seedlings grow, the cover needs to be propped up with wooden stakes, so that the leaves do not touch the plastic and the foliage is not scorched. The plastic should be left on the plants for about 30 days and then slit and removed when plants are about 6 to 12 inches in height. This technique ensures that even when the temperature drops to a few degrees below freezing at night, the area under the plastic will not freeze, because the temperature under the plastic can be as much as 20 degrees warmer than the outside air.

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