How to Grow Broom Corn for Brooms and Crafts

Broom corn is not corn at all. It is a type of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) grown not for grain but for the long, stiff, fibrous seed branches at the top of the plant, the part that becomes the business end of a handmade broom. Grow a row of it and you will end up with towering stalks, often 8 to 12 feet tall, topped with sprays of seed-bearing fibers in shades of green, tan, burgundy, and bronze. Sweep brooms, whisk brooms, hearth brooms, and a pile of dried arrangements all come from this one dramatic, easy-to-grow crop.

If you have ever grown sweet corn, broom corn will feel familiar to plant but will surprise you with its size and its long season. It is a warm-season annual that needs heat, a long frost-free stretch, and full sun to ripen its brush properly. The reward is a renewable supply of broom material and striking ornamental stalks, plus the simple satisfaction of growing something genuinely useful. Here is how to grow, harvest, and cure it.

When and Where to Plant Broom Corn

Broom corn is a heat-loving, frost-tender annual with a long season, so it is one of the last things you sow in spring and you need to start it promptly. Wait until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to at least 60°F, the same timing you would use for sweet corn or beans. From that point it needs roughly 100 to 120 days of frost-free growing weather to mature its brush, so in short-season climates start it as early as warm soil allows. Gardeners in the far north sometimes start seed indoors a couple of weeks early to bank time, though broom corn dislikes transplanting and is happiest direct-sown.

Give it your sunniest, most sheltered spot. Full sun is non-negotiable, and because plants can top 10 feet, a position with some wind protection (against a fence, building, or windbreak) saves you from lodging. Broom corn is not fussy about soil but does best in fertile, well-drained ground with steady moisture. Like other sorghums it tolerates heat and short dry spells better than corn, but consistent moisture during its rapid growth phase produces taller plants and longer brush. Work in some compost before planting to support the heavy vegetative growth.

How to Sow Broom Corn

Direct-sow the seed once the soil is reliably warm. Plant seeds about half an inch to an inch deep. A common approach is to sow a bit thickly and thin to a final spacing of roughly 4 to 6 inches between plants, in rows spaced 2 to 3 feet apart. Closer spacing produces taller, thinner plants with finer, straighter brush, which is exactly what broommakers want, while wider spacing gives stockier plants. Because broom corn is wind-pollinated like other sorghums and corn, planting in a block of several short rows rather than one long single row improves pollination and seed set.

Seedlings emerge in about a week to ten days in warm soil and start slow, then accelerate dramatically once summer heat arrives. Keep the bed weeded while plants are small; once they tower up they shade out most competition on their own. Water deeply during dry spells, especially through the rapid growth and heading phase, and side-dress with a balanced fertilizer or compost if growth looks pale, since these big plants are reasonably hungry.

Caring for the Crop Through the Season

Broom corn is largely hands-off through midsummer beyond watering and weeding. The plants put on remarkable height, and by mid- to late summer they push up the seed head, or panicle, which is the part you are growing for. As the head emerges and the fibers extend, the plant is at its most vulnerable to wind; a hard storm can snap or lodge a row of 10-foot stalks. If your garden is exposed, run a stake-and-twine support down each side of the row, or plant against a sturdy fence. Some growers deliberately “hill up” soil around the base for extra anchorage.

There are two broad types worth knowing. Standard (or “tall”) broom corn grows the longest brush and the tallest stalks and is the traditional broommaking type. Dwarf broom corn stays shorter, around 3 to 6 feet, with shorter brush, and is easier to manage and harvest in a small garden or windy site. Ornamental broom corns are selected for colorful seed heads in burgundy, bronze, and black, prized for fall decor and dried arrangements. Choose based on whether your priority is functional broom material or seasonal display. For another tall, dramatic warm-season crop to pair it with, see our guide to growing bottle gourd.

Harvesting Broom Corn for Brush

Timing the harvest is the skill that separates good broom material from poor. You are not waiting for ripe grain; in fact, fully ripe seed makes the fibers brittle and the brush less useful. Harvest the brush when the seeds are still in the soft, immature “dough” stage and the fibers are full length, green to just turning color, and still flexible. The classic test is to bend a fiber: if it springs back without snapping, it is ready. Waiting too long gives you stiff, brittle, easily broken brush.

To harvest, cut the stalk a foot or more below the base of the brush so you have a handle to grip and tie by. Some growers bend the stalk over at a sharp angle a couple of weeks before harvest, a practice called “tabling,” which makes the brush straighter and easier to cut, though it is optional for a home gardener. Cut on a dry day and handle the heads gently to keep the fibers straight and unbroken, since kinks and tangles ruin broom material.

Removing the seed

The brush carries seed along the fibers, and you generally want to remove it before or during curing so the fibers stay clean and so you can save seed for next year. Run the heads through a coarse comb, a piece of hardware cloth, or a homemade seed-stripping board, pulling the brush through to strip the seeds off while leaving the fibers intact and aligned. Save a portion of clean, dry seed in an airtight jar to plant next season. The fibers are what you keep for brooms and crafts.

Curing and Using Broom Corn

Curing is what turns freshly cut brush into durable, springy broom fiber. Hang the cut and de-seeded heads in small bundles, brush-end down or simply spread loosely, in a dry, airy, shaded space such as a barn, shed, garage, or covered porch. Good airflow and shade are key: drying in direct sun bleaches and weakens the color, while poor airflow invites mold. Let the brush cure for several weeks until it is fully dry and the fibers are stiff but not brittle. Keep the fibers straight while they dry, because they set in whatever shape they cure in.

Once cured, the brush is ready to bind onto a handle to make a broom or whisk, or to use in wreaths, swags, and dried fall arrangements. A handful of stalks yields enough material for a serviceable broom, and a single garden row can supply brooms for the household plus plenty of craft material. Store unused cured brush flat and dry, and it will keep for years. The colorful ornamental types make standout autumn decorations even if you never bind a single broom. For more useful and ornamental crops to grow alongside it, browse our plants and flowers hub.

Common Problems

The biggest real-world challenges with broom corn are season length and wind. In short-season climates the crop simply may not have enough frost-free days to mature its brush, so northern gardeners should choose faster or dwarf varieties and plant the moment soil is warm. Lodging from wind is the next most common loss, addressed with sheltered siting and support. Pest-wise, broom corn shares pests with sweet corn and other sorghums, including aphids, corn earworm, and birds that love the developing seed, so net or scare birds off ripening heads. Otherwise it is a tough, low-input crop that rewards a little patience with a genuinely useful harvest.