Topic: Yippee ! Sweetcorn - I've done it!

[pippy]

I just wanted to thank everyone for posting advice about growing sweetcorn, especially Jeanine.  We have just harvested and eaten our first cobs (hopefully of many)!  My sprogs (3 and 5) have buttery chins!

This was our second years effort - last year I put them all in one pot to start off and had something resembling a spirograph picture in the bottom of the pot when planting out - needless to say they were stunted.  This year I followed Jeannines 3 inch pot and 3 weeks max rules.  Fabulous!

Interestingly, the boys hassled me to pick them to feed to a friend's chickens when they visit them... and do you know, the chooks were not one bit interested in corn on the cob?  Much preferred pak choi and stale bread.  Oh well - all the more for us  :) :)

Thanks again everyone!

[PJW_Letchworth]

Excellent news, and hopefully more buttery chins, I can't wait for mine!

My corn is growing the best it's ever done.  I am wondering if this could be because I've been feeding it every three weeks.  I read somewhere (on here I think) that corn is a very hungry crop and needs feeding regularly.  Several weeks and half a bucket of pelleted chicken poop later I have great plants.

[pippy]

I haven't really fed it much, but 3 weeks before planting it out I forked in well rotted manure, and a little lime and blood fish bone mix to the soil.  I also had peas in that space last year so I think that helped.

Pellted chick poop is great stuff though -  ;)  worked well on my onions!

[twinkletoes]

Well done pippy.  It's great when all the hard work comes together eh?  Had my first cob today too - bloomin' luvverly  ;D ;D   No feed  :-X but I did water them loads. ::)
twinkletoes

[greenscrump]

Badgers got ours - hope they enjoyed them  ::)

[Jeannine]

Well done Pippy, I would love to have seen the buttery chins..bless 'em

 I shall have to inject you with the squash bug now.

XX Jeannine

[Mushy Pea]

Badgers got ours - hope they enjoyed them  ::)

Sorry to hear you lost your crop, but it did give me a smile as I had a vision of a badger with a buttery chin.    ;D

MP

[robbo]

This year I followed Jeannines 3 inch pot and 3 weeks max rules. 

Would you care to elaborate on that Pippy. I have grown sweetcorn this year but being a newby it was just trial and error.

  Robbo.

[pippy]

Yes of course :-

You start them of indoors in 3 inch pots filled with compost.  Plant about half to an inch deep.  Basically what Jeannine said was that from when they sprout through to when you plant them out should be three weeks maximum, ideally two weeks as they don't like a check in growth.  You have to be careful that you don't break the root as you put them out.  If I've got anything wrong Jeannine will soon correct me!

I also used fresh seed (don't know if this helps) and good quality seed compost.  I tried a first batch in loo rolls and they didn't do nearly as well.

As said before I forked rotted manure, BFB and a bit of lime into the bed 2 weeks before planting out, and put them in blocks.

Best of luck next year. :)

[Mr Smith]

I've just picked the first of my sweetcorn this morning and I'm really pleased with the results :)

[Jeannine]

You are right, sweetcorn ideally should be planted staright into the ground, it doesn't like being transplanted so we have to fool it. As it grows it has to think it is the ground..this way it does.

If left in the pot too long or started in small cells it sulks and takes a growth break.

This is one veggie that starting early is not an advantage.

Often the early starts go into a sulk and the later starts which are not held up soar away and finish ahead of the early ones.

Timing is important, time sowing  so that the pot plant goes out in three weeks..mo more.

 XX Jeannine

[hopalong]

You are right, sweetcorn ideally should be planted staright into the ground, it doesn't like being transplanted so we have to fool it. As it grows it has to think it is the ground..this way it does.

If left in the pot too long or started in small cells it sulks and takes a growth break.

This is one veggie that starting early is not an advantage.

Often the early starts go into a sulk and the later starts which are not held up soar away and finish ahead of the early ones.

Timing is important, time sowing  so that the pot plant goes out in three weeks..mo more.

 XX Jeannine

That's interesting. I bought a few small plants at a local community festival in late June, not expecting much from them, and they have certainly soared away.  I'm just off to the lottie to start harvesting.

[kenkew]

I check mine daily at the moment. Soooo close. Always started them in paper pots and planted the whole thing to fool the roots. Mind you, the winds we've had should have done for them but they've all done fine. Can't wait....forget the cooking...just eat as is.

[keef]

Mines not ready yet - wanted some for a BBQ tonight...never mind, just helped myself to bag of maize cobs which will have to do instead  ;D

[tim]

Sowing? A great subject for Root Trainers.

[Hot_Potato]

never grown sweetcorn but buy it when I can (I know, tis not the same :( but today I bought some from Farmer's Market stall which is here each Saturday - after reading Ken saying don't bother cooking, I didn't - wow! must have been picked this morning (by local farmer) crisp, juicy and oh so sweet  :P- never want to cook them again (but guess I'll have to when I can't get hold of such freshly picked ones

thanks for the tip Ken

[Robert_Brenchley]

We've just finished the Northern Extra Sweet and started on Kite. NES didn't germinate very well in the mini-greenhouse, I'll do it indoors next year. Apart from that, they're both a great success. I had been a bit worried about growing two different types of corn, but I planted them well apart, and Kite came on just as NES finished flowering. So there don't seem to be any problems.

[robbo]

Hmmm.....well that's a bit more I have learned again.
So I am absolutely clear Jeannine/pippy, are you saying that one way is to start them off in a 3" pot and at three weeks max take them out of the pot (being careful with the roots) and re-plant them in the ground?
This year I thought I was being clever and started them early in paper pots, It was about 7 weeks before the weather was warm enough and I planted them out pots as well. They then didn't do anything for weeks after that and I thought it was down to the roots not being able to get through the paper to grow bigger. Now I know why they stopped growing, thank you.
Next year I will follow your other plan and plant them straight in the ground, which in this part of the country will be towards the end of May. That will save a hell of a lot of work and should give me a better crop.
Could I start the seeds off with the damp kitchen towel method and then plant them when they sprout?

  Robbo.

[Jeannine]

Robbo. planting straight into the ground is what they like but in the UK that can be iffy, bear in mind that they need heat to germiante, the Supersweets need even more than the others. Soil temp needs to be 60f to be safe for most,  at least 65 for sugar enhanced types, they cannot germinate below 55f unless a treated seed of a variety known to do OK in cooler temps..pretty rare here. Supersweets need  70f. The seeds will just rot without it.

I buy treated seeds when I can which helps.

 The above is why I plant in pots as many people do but you  need to plant in the pots ONLY about three weeks before you would put them out, if you use paper tear the bottom open and don't have them too small, corn hates to be moved.It has a sulk and stops if restricted in any way.

If you want to plant direct and if you think your area is Ok, I would put   clear plastic mulch on the ground to help warm the soil about a week or two before, then i would plant prechitted seed straight into the ground, then cover over with the clear plastic, move it after the seedlings appear.

XX Jeannine

[Bean_Queen]

Last year's crop was a disaster.
This year, the cobs just keep coming!  The ones in photo are Swift, or possibly Conqueror (I have labelling issues)