Author Topic: Sweetcorns...a beginners guide.....please (Read 25373 times)

Mrs Ava · « **on:** April 20, 2004, 12:55:23 »

Okay, as most of you know, I have never had a sucessful sweetcorn experience, so I have been following your advice to the letter and now have 50 babies all growing wonderfully in there long pots in the greenhouse. I have been talking to them and comforting them and now I would like to know when is planting out time, roughly, in Essex? I have lots and lots of bottle cloches if they will help. I know that things like toms, peppers and squash are really tender, but what about sweetcorns?? ;D

aquilegia · « **Reply #1 on:** April 20, 2004, 13:10:21 »

I think last year I hardened mine off in late May. Then planted them in the ground early June. soil deeply dug and well manured. Lots of water and they just got on with it.

It's not looking so good for this year. Only two of the seven I planted have germinated. Must do most tomorrow, if I can find the room!

tim · « **Reply #2 on:** April 20, 2004, 13:28:07 »

Lesson there? Always double sow?

We never put ours out until early June. But that's the Cotswolds. And don't forget to plant in a block. = Tim

aquilegia · « **Reply #3 on:** April 20, 2004, 13:45:00 »

I can't bear to double sow as that means throwing out seedlings. Can't be doing that! (probably knowing my like I'd have sown the two that germinated in the same pot!)

Multiveg · « **Reply #4 on:** April 20, 2004, 14:41:03 »

EJ - you are definitely going to need those bottle cloches! You are probably looking at mid-May for planting out, but you could start hardening them off now.
The roots are shallow, and a mulch would help them lots. The 3 sisters method with trailing squash things can help.
Good luck.

The gardener · « **Reply #5 on:** April 20, 2004, 15:22:34 »

Haven't even sown mine yet, another couple of weeks or so to go for me;

This is my method;

* Week 15; Prepare beds by digging in liberal amounts of well rotted manure or compost.

* Week 17; Sow seed in pots/trays of seed compost and germinate at a temperature of 18°C(65°F).

Germination should take about a week.

n.b. To assist germination soak seed in clean water for twelve to twenty four hours prior to sowing.

* Week 19; Pot up seedlings into 75mm (3") pots of potting compost, and gradually harden off in a frost free cold frame until planting out time.

* Week 22; Plant out in pre-prepared soil, 400-500mm (16"-18") apart in a sunny,sheltered location.

Apply a top dressing of a balanced fertiliser at a rate of 100gms (4oz) per sq. m prior to planting.

* Week 30; Keep weeds down by hoeing, taking care not to damage the surface roots.

Water regularly during the flowering (tassle) period, and as the cobs begin to swell.

Lay a mulch such as garden compost or straw, to reduce water loss from the soil.

In exposed areas ensure that taller varieties are supported.

* Week 39; Check the plants regularly and harvest the cobs as they ripen.

The cobs are ripe when the silks protruding from the end are dark brown.

Do not allow the cobs to get over-ripe, as this inclines to make them 'starchy' and less palatable.

Another sign of ripeness is the milky juice that exudes from the kernels pierced by a fingernail.

Use as soon as possible after picking, or freeze promptly.

Wicker · « **Reply #6 on:** April 20, 2004, 15:53:51 »

I'm trying sweetcorn for the first time this year too.looked at your site Gardener for howto grow and did the pre-soak bit, sowed 60 seeds and 59 germinated almost immediately! too much for the space I have available so gave half away to other allotmenteers.

they are now about 5" high and potted into 4" pots but still in greenhouse - I must have misjudged the weeks in your guide because of course week 19 isn't until middle/end May but I'll just keep them in side then harden off slowly - after all this is Central Scotland and pretty cold for quite a while yet.

Finger crossed and good luck EJ!

philcooper · « **Reply #7 on:** April 22, 2004, 11:07:02 »

I would agree with Multiveg.

Harden off as soon as they start getting too long for pots/modules, this slows them down. Be prepared to whip them back inside if a frost is forecast.

Plant out mid May under protection such as bottles (provided you are not in a froat pocket).

The Gardeners advice would mean I had to find space for 100 3" pots inside!!!!

VeggieMan · « **Reply #8 on:** April 22, 2004, 11:19:51 »

Sorry for butting in, I sowed my sweetcorn seeds in pots approx. 1.5-2 weeks ago and nothing has come up!

Am I being impatient?

VeggieMan

Multiveg · « **Reply #9 on:** April 22, 2004, 11:30:00 »

Sweetcorn is expected to germinate in 10-12 days according to Dr Hessayon.

philcooper · « **Reply #10 on:** April 22, 2004, 12:07:00 »

In my home made propagator - temp around 20 degrees min the corn has, as at this morning 75% germinated after 5 days.

Picture follows

ina · « **Reply #11 on:** April 22, 2004, 17:43:40 »

A big jump from seedlings to harvest, I read the following in my x-mas present book "the Joy of gardening" by D ick Raymond. (Will you bail me out if I get arrested for violating copy right?)

Never open a husk to check if sweet corn is ready to harvest. That's an engraved invitation to insects and birds to ruin your harvest. My method is 'touchy-feely' but it works every time and never invites pests.

I locate the top of the ear, knowing that sometimes the ear will not fill out the husk completely. Then I press down on the top of the ear. If it is pointy, it's not ready to pick. (Usually the husks are still quite tight to the ear.) But if the top of the ear is flattish and almost rounded, the ear is ripe. (The husks are also a bit looser at this time.)

He goes on to say that you should not feel the sides of the ear near the top but really the very top or peak.

Could this method be more reliable than the color of the silk? I've had corn go starchy (meaning too late), going by the silk alone.

This year I'm going to cover the ears with plastic bottles untill I'm ready to pick them because the mice always harvest sooner than I would.

Wicker · « **Reply #12 on:** April 22, 2004, 18:52:51 »

Did I speak too soon? First leaf of most of my sweetcorn have become sort of discoloured at the very tip but the other 4/5 leaves are all o,k, Bill says not to worry as this happens with other plants (which I know) but I am anxious about these sweetcorn never having grown them before :-\

They are still in heated greenhouse but I am planning to put them into a mini plastic greenhouse in sheltered spot to start hardening off, think they should be ok. there from this weekend for a few weeks? ???

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #13 on:** April 22, 2004, 22:54:52 »

okay dokey, plan a has been put into action. I have started gently hardening off my sweetcorn. They will be spending the next week or 2 outide during the day, then back in the greenhouse over night. Then at the start of May they will brave the night air, in a sheltered spot, for a couple of weeks before heading down to the plot, where they will be planted out in a block, (rough spacing - I usually do a trowels length between plants - is that okay-ish?) and covering the little beauties with my bottle cloches. Then when they outgrow their cloches, or the start of June, whichever arrives first, I will expose them to the Essex allotment sun. However, any news of frosts and I shall hot foot it to the plot to protect my darlings. I will water them profusely but what should I give them to eat?

john_miller · « **Reply #14 on:** April 22, 2004, 23:27:27 »

Ina- The blunt tip method is the way I have picked it and is the only way to pick it on a field scale- obviously picking 20-30 bushels (60 to a bushel) a day you don't have the time to look at the colour of the silk. The way I do it is to grab the top of the cob so that the top of it is nestled in my palm. This will give you a very quick indication of how blunt and rounded the tip is. If it is blunt then it means the top kernels have swelled (they are the last to do so) and is ready. The silk has to be really brown and completely brittle to get such a good visual indication. Not many people will be able to judge that stage properly.

philcooper · « **Reply #15 on:** April 23, 2004, 09:15:50 »

EJ

I have a program that converts imperial to metric plus lots of other scales such as avoir dupoid and ancient persian, but cannot find the standard trowel.

I plant mine about 15" apart and get 2 -3 corns from Kelvedon Glory and can run cucumbers between the plants

tim · « **Reply #16 on:** April 23, 2004, 11:42:56 »

Now that's a crafty one!!

Shades the roots as well? Could daughter do the same with her blasted squashes?? = Tim

Multiveg · « **Reply #17 on:** April 23, 2004, 11:45:08 »

That's what I will be trying, the three sisters method with climbing french beans growing up the sweetcorn, and trailing squash things through them. Probably a good use of space on a small allotment.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #18 on:** April 23, 2004, 12:28:29 »

Really Phil, I am suprised. There is a chap on our allotment and he uses the metric welly for his measurements. ;) ;D

philcooper · « **Reply #19 on:** April 23, 2004, 12:29:17 »

Not only saving space - I have loads, but last year, I'm sure the leaves of the cucumbers shaded the corn roots and saved some water - I still had to water the cu's

This year I'm trying it with squashes and somewher else someone proposed sweet peas instead of climbing beans as they didn't think that their corn was strong enough to support beans.

News:

Author Topic: Sweetcorns...a beginners guide.....please (Read 25373 times)