At home we spent some time tilling composted goat bedding, poultry bedding and the bagged leaves into the garden.


We also had a bonfire to burn the bindweed I pulled out of the garden as well as some corn stalks that developed smut this year. Ustilago maydis or corn smut is a fungus that grows primarily in sweet corn; infected kernels grow large and oddly shaped, turning grey or black as they fill with spores. While I prefer to destroy corn that is infected with this fugus, in Mexico, it's huitlacoche (wheat-lah-KOH-chay), and a delicacy to be savored.


OP corn is more susceptible to smut, which overwinters in the soil, than hybrid varieties. And guess what I grew? Country Gentleman, an OP variety. I guess next year I will stick to hybrids. Another method to prevent smut from infecting corn is crop rotation. I do this anyway. Here is more information on corn smut from the Virgina Cooperative Extension.