Sweetcorn - how many do you grow?

[Mr Smith]

At the minute I have about fifty plants coming on, I will also be sowing seed direct in to the lotty, I love my sweetcorn so with the two varieties I will have about just over 100 plants in all, I also take a few down to the local for the lads, still eating last years,

[Dadnlad]

Early Extra Sweet sown Sunday - 35 'ish  germinated so far

Incredible still to sow - maybe another 30-40

So maybe 70 plants

Feeds us three all year  +  family  +  friends

[1066]

I'd never realsied how popular sweetcorn is - well on A4A anyway!! 

[grannyjanny]

My chickens love a cob of corn as a treat. I bought a couple of bags of frozen & cook 2 & take them for my 4 girls. Very happy girls when they have them .

[Jayb]

It does seem ever-so popular. I've just sown mine and I'm looking to plant about 30, which is a few more than last year, as not quite enough 

My chickens love a cob of corn as a treat. I bought a couple of bags of frozen & cook 2 & take them for my 4 girls. Very happy girls when they have them .

My girls go mad for them too , they get very stroppy if they catch me harvesting some cobs and not sharing with them!

[1066]

well the final number has been declared - based purely on the number of loo rolls I have!

31 

   

1066

[detailista]

does anyone do the three sisters method? 

If so any tips ?  I haven't even started my sweetcorn off - will do so tonight.

[carosanto]

Re Detailista's query about three sisters planting. I tried it last year. Lots of prep, pit filled with wrm, dug out earth piled to make a heap, 12 s/c in a block on top, beans to scramble up and squash to scramble through.

It rained last year from the first week in  June till Late September, each day and every day, barring about 10 rain-free days here in the Wild West.  After all that hard work I harvested......zilch.  Not a cob, a bean nor a single squash.  It all slowly rotted away in the rain. Also as this is supposed to be an American Indian tradition, perhaps I needed an endless supply of Buffalo Poo, rare in downtown Cornwall.

So if you want three sisters, insist to Him upstairs that this MUST BE A BBQ summer, otherwise...well sorry, but don't bother!!  (Mark you, the power of prayer etc etc.....)
Regards, Caro

[Jeannine]

Hi , re three sisters, there are lots of threads on the forum about how to do this but briefly.

3 varieties of veg,corn,beans and squash.

It should ideally be built in a circle, 12ft in diameter works best  A hill of soil  raised to about a foot high in the middle, flattened on the top,it will settle a  bit.

In the US seeds are sown directly into the ground but in the UK you are better to start with transplants.

Corn  goes in the top of the mound. beans go next planted lower down in the side of the mound, then the squash is last and  is planted at the base of the mound.

It works best if you are growing the veggies for winter keeping. eg dent corn rather than fresh eating,beans for drying and wintersquash or pumpkins.

If you use fresh eating corn and picking green beans it is difficult to get in among everything as it grows quite dense but it can be done especially if your spacings are right.

Spacing is important, to close and the method is starved of nutrients, too far apart and the corn won't pollinate.

The corn acts as support for the tall growing beans  which  fix nitrogen in the soil this helps the squash and corn, and the squash smother weeds that would grow round the base.

There are lots of sites on the net that can give spacings etc for size mounds etc but 12 foot works the best, I think.

XX Jeannine