Author Topic: Sweetcorn on clay?  (Read 3089 times)

Gordonmull

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Sweetcorn on clay?
« on: August 28, 2014, 19:52:06 »
I've read that sweetcorn hates clay soil but I'd really like to have a bash at growing it. Does anyone have any tricks up their sleeve?

The soil on the planned bed is more like a clay loam dark and crumbles nicely, rakeable when just moist but does form clumps when wet and dries hard.

If that sounds OK next year's bed would be in much worse nick. Nowhere near rakeable. I'll be putting spuds on there this year so it'll get c. 500kg of civic amenity compost and chicken manure pellets applied in spring. That's about the maximum I can face shoveling into bags but I think I still have a few more years of soil improvement to go yet.

ancellsfarmer

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Re: Sweetcorn on clay?
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2014, 20:41:02 »
In my experience,its not the heaviness of the soil that causes problems, the crop does not like standing in waterlogged soil with stagnant pools. Here locally on sticky when wet Hythe beds deposits,, the commercialyy grown maize reaches over 10ft tall, but it does get some if not all of these: sewage sludge, FYM, and Nitram granular fertiser n34.5%. It is a gross feeder!
Similarly located my Realseeds Bicolour sweetcorn topped 7ft and produced on average 6 heavy cobs.I must try and bricker some nitram, this year crop looked "hungry"and is suffering I think for the lost of fertility due to the heavy rainfall last winter. Of course the farmer wants volume of foliage wheras its corn we seek.Good spacing and deepish planting helps.
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peanuts

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Re: Sweetcorn on clay?
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2014, 07:02:11 »
Your soil sounds similar to ours, although being a bit further south than you (Pyrenees, SW France) both the air and soil are usually warmer than yours I should think! Although not this year, as we have had an awful summer, unlike the UK, very few dry and warm days, loads of rain and storms, so it hasn't been easy gardening.
But we do grow sweet corn successfully on this soil with very little attention. I always start them off in root-trainers, wait until the root system has filled the pots, and then replant them with as little disturbance as poss, and off they go. Once growing properly, I also mound the earth up round the stems, to give them more support.
Have a go, you won't know until you've tried!

I've read that sweetcorn hates clay soil but I'd really like to have a bash at growing it. Does anyone have any tricks up their sleeve?

The soil on the planned bed is more like a clay loam dark and crumbles nicely, rakeable when just moist but does form clumps when wet and dries hard.



BarriedaleNick

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Re: Sweetcorn on clay?
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2014, 07:47:29 »
I grow corn on London clay and have had good years (and bad ones!) - This year has been excellent and the corn is full and really tasty.  I think ancellsfarmer is right when he refers to drainage as we are on a slope so never suffer from the problem of waterlogged soil.  However they are hungry plants and need a good start.  I get them going in root trainers and then I plant each one in a shovel of nice old stable manure with a sprinkling of chicken poo pellets and they race away!

I always thought it would be a waste of time growing corn in London - don't know why but I had it in my head that it was such until someone gave me a fresh home grown one for a taster.  Now it is one of my go to crops and one I look forward to eating the most.  Had one cooked on the BBQ last night!!
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grannyjanny

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Re: Sweetcorn on clay?
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2014, 12:17:02 »
Will you be digging in your compost or leaving it on top? We get manure in the Autumn & leave it on top for the worms to do their business over Winter.

ancellsfarmer

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Re: Sweetcorn on clay?
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2014, 20:55:53 »
Forgot to mention, sweet corn likes a ph of 5.5-7 so if you are on acid soil, then the previous autumn, lime at 100gm/sq metre. Do not let this stop the addition of organic matter in April following year.
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Gordonmull

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Re: Sweetcorn on clay?
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2014, 23:40:45 »
Sweet, (if you pardon the pun) this doesn't sound so hard now.

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I always thought it would be a waste of time growing corn in London - don't know why but I had it in my head that it was such until someone gave me a fresh home grown one for a taster.  Now it is one of my go to crops and one I look forward to eating the most.  Had one cooked on the BBQ last night!!

From all I've read it's an amazing difference from shop bought stuff and that's where I want to go with growing now i've learned most of the basics. Only growing stuff that is a) expensive and we like and/or b) tastes significantly better than shop bought. BBQ'd homegrown corn sounds brilliant! It's my favourite way to cook it and I LOVE even shop bought stuff. I just always thought it was a hard veg to grow.

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Will you be digging in your compost or leaving it on top?

Well, I always mean to do that but it never happens. I end up still having veg in the ground (leeks, lettuce) up to march when everything comes out ready for the spuds. Also, TBH, I'm losing my enthusiasm and after the work of the growing season a three month break from gardening sounds heavenly and two trips to the tip to fill bags up with compost really doesn't. Of course come spring future me curses past me with all he has :)

 

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