Topic: Sweetcorn and minipop

[caseylee]

this may sound such a silly question, but what id the difference between the two, I know one is suppossed to be a minure version, but when they grow do they look different, or are the corns smaller, could someone just explain to me please.

[Biscombe]

Minipop is smaller all round! you need to plant a lot to get a few meals worth!

[caseylee]

are they worth planting, and do you know roughly how man you woudl get from each plant

[saddad]

"Chinese" corn... for stir fries... is the same plant but selected to produce more "cobs"... you can pick 12-20 immature cobs off one plant.. you have to pick them almost as soon as you can see them...
Main corn will produce at most 3 cobs... probably 1-2 per plant but you let these develop... they will cross pollinate so you don't want them too close together. You can snap the male flowers out of the top of the minpop plants... but if they are pollinated by your main they will develop into "not great!" corn on the cob...
 ;D
We tend to do 25-36 main and about 30 mini each year. Last year we got virtually no proper corn but the minipop did all right!
 :-[

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

we grow minipop, about 50 plants (a whole packet of seed)- it's the only type of sweetcorn we grow. You get a lot more that it says on the packet. You pick them when they're the size of the baby ones in those expensive packs in the supermarket. if you've got a new plot sweetcorn might be a good thing to grow - it gets very big and can look after itself

[caseylee]

thanks everyone.  I was only planning to plant 4 minipop but I think I will do the whole pack now cause I love them.  I have grown sweetcorn before but that was in south africa where the temp is constantly hot so lets see how it goes here

[saddad]

Should be ok in Wiltshire Caseylee... most years we get a good crop here in Derby... we haven't finished eating the 06 crop yet!!
 ;D

[Jeannine]

Caseylee, a tip for your corn, don't plant it too early, start it inside about three weeks before it goes out, no more, if you do the plants will go dormant and take another couple of weeks after planted to start again, they hate to be held up in pots, they like to grow to transplant size then be put out,  not wait, or they sulk.XX Jeannine

[caseylee]

when should I put them outdoors

[saddad]

Here I wait to start of June but unless it is a poor year you should be OK from mid May..
 :)

[Amazin]

When they're ready, remember to take a variety of dips to the plot.

Pick 'em, dunk 'em, scoff 'em!

 ;D


(or is that just me?)