Topic: Which sweet corn variety will you growing in 2010 and why.

[plainleaf2]

Which sweet corn  variety will you growing in 2010 and why.
If are going to grow multiple varieties which methods of segregation will you be using.

[Flighty]

The same variety as this year. Because I want to.

[grawrc]

I'm growing swift because I understand they do OK in our short Scottish season. I grow smallish quantities of lots of different veg and fruit, so I won't plant more than one variety of sweet corn. Also it's not one of my favourite vegetables so I tend to grow fewern than I might. Just enough in a block to guarantee pollination.

[GRACELAND]

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[Duke Ellington]

 One of my allotment neighbours grew a variety called Honeydew which I am considering for next year because hers seem to develop very quickly. She had cobs alot earlier than mine even though they were sowed and planted around the same time. This year I grew Ovation. I was pleased with these but would like to try a different type next year.

Duke

[Chrispy]

I am going to try Sugar Bubs, I chose this as it is where the dart hit the catalog.
No, that is not quite true, I tried a few throws, but could not hit the catalog, so I picked the one that says it has a long harvesting period, as that is what is most important to me.

I also have some seeds left over from this year, will probably use up the Lark seeds, not decided about the others.

As for segregation, how far apart do they have to be?

[plainleaf2]

conthehill there two type of variety segregation in sweet corn
distance and time. distance between two incompatible varieties need be at least 300 meters.
time is to keep to incompatible variety from pollinating at same time.
to get get good pollenation you need 16 plants plant 4x4 in block on average 1 foot apart.

[Chrispy]

conthehill there two type of variety segregation in sweet corn
distance and time. distance between two incompatible varieties need be at least 300 meters.
time is to keep to incompatible variety from pollinating at same time.
to get get good pollenation you need 16 plants plant 4x4 in block on average 1 foot apart.

300 meters  :-X I better tell every body else on the site not to grow any sweet corn while I am growing mine.
Better still, I'll just leave a few feet between blocks and not worry about it, seemed to work fine this year.

[saddad]

Ovation as it does well for me, Minipop for "chinese" corn and an odd one... bloody butcher or Hopi Blue...  :)

[realfood]

Swift and Lark as they mature quickly and I am in Glasgow. They do well for me every year, and are the extra tender and sweet type and you do not have to bother about problems from other varieties of sweetcorn close by.

[Robert_Brenchley]

300 meters  :-X I better tell every body else on the site not to grow any sweet corn while I am growing mine.
Better still, I'll just leave a few feet between blocks and not worry about it, seemed to work fine this year.

300 meters is for farm scale plantings. Ten yards will do on an allotment, or have them flowering at different times.

[amphibian]

I'll probably be growing the one from Wilkos, I think it was Incredible. Superb yield.

[Flighty]

I overlooked the 300 metres that was stated in a comment! It appears that someone has no real conception of allotments and allotmenteering here in the UK.  :)

[Chrispy]

300 meters  :-X I better tell every body else on the site not to grow any sweet corn while I am growing mine.
Better still, I'll just leave a few feet between blocks and not worry about it, seemed to work fine this year.

300 meters is for farm scale plantings. Ten yards will do on an allotment, or have them flowering at different times.

OK, my segregation method will be to place them a distance apart, I also try to place them so the blocks are not in-line with the prevailing wind.

The 300m bit does explain one thing to me.
When I have read books, they always seem to say `plant in a block to make sure of pollination` and yet, I have seen people planting in lines, and when I mention the block thing, they say it is rubbish, it works fine in lines.

I think the books should be saying `plant in a block to make sure of pollination by your plants and not from the neighbours plot`.

[amphibian]

300 meters  :-X I better tell every body else on the site not to grow any sweet corn while I am growing mine.
Better still, I'll just leave a few feet between blocks and not worry about it, seemed to work fine this year.

300 meters is for farm scale plantings. Ten yards will do on an allotment, or have them flowering at different times.

OK, my segregation method will be to place them a distance apart, I also try to place them so the blocks are not in-line with the prevailing wind.

The 300m bit does explain one thing to me.
When I have read books, they always seem to say `plant in a block to make sure of pollination` and yet, I have seen people planting in lines, and when I mention the block thing, they say it is rubbish, it works fine in lines.

I think the books should be saying `plant in a block to make sure of pollination by your plants and not from the neighbours plot`.

The reason people probably get away with planting in rows, is because there is so much corn growing in the area that pollination occurs anyway.

[angle shades]

 :) Candy Mountain again for me, very sweet, can eat it raw at the lottie, I only grow one variety. shades x

[Dadnlad]

Early Exrta Sweet (again) from Kings,  and Double Standard from Real Seeds

[Geoff H]

I will be growing Incredible again, it has become my banker. I only started with it because two years ago I decided late on to grow sweet corn and that was all they had at the garden centre. I chit my seed and mice took every single seedling so I had to resow with it again so it was late. That summer was awful. It was late maturing but it gave a huge crop. Used it again this year, rubbish summer again. It matured earlier and again huge crop. If you have a large family and they love sweet corn and the number of seeds in a normal pack are not enough then look  at Moles Seeds, their packets are huge. Also if sweet corn seed keeps well then it could last for a few years.
My wife has instructed me that I must grow the mini sweet corn so one will be planted in the veg garden at mother in laws and one at the allotment. distance 3 miles apart....is that enough? :)
Can ordinary maize that farmer's grow for silage mess it up pollination wise? I ask because we have loads of cattle round here and there are acres and acres of the stuff. I don't know how they manage to store it. A farmer I know has a huge silage pit full of grass silage and now has a 20 acre field of maize 7 foot high.

[plainleaf2]

Geoff H yes field corn will interfere with the pollination of your corn and ruin the taste.
here is simple test.
Grow a white sweet corn variety. When you  harvest them if you find yellow kernels on the cob this will tell you your corn has been contaminated by field corn.

[Digeroo]

I got several packets in a 50p sale so they are on my list.

Have grown a variety from Franchi which turned out to have red leaves and had a good flavour not at all clear on the packet what the variety is called.  Fruit quite small but enough for me for a meal.

Grew Ashworth - was rather disappointed by the flavour.

Wind tends to go from W to E so I put the different varieties in blocks spreadout from north to south.  Well sheltered by trees from N and S.