Topic: Sweetcorn spacing

[anemone]

Sorry I know this has been asked before, but I'm still confused after a search.

Does sweetcorn cross pollination affect the harvest the same year grow them or only if you save seeds?

I have a few seeds of each of - sundance(f1), ovation(f1), minipop (f1) and strawberry popcorn

Can I grow any of them near each other or should I just do a few plants of one type this year?

[saddad]

Basically only if you save the seed... but it will taint "Supersweets"... you need to grow the minipop away from the others as you don't want them pollinating at all... if you can't just pick them s soon as you see the tassles.  :)

[realfood]

It is more complicated than that. It does affect this year's crop, as well as future crops from saved seed, as they cross pollinate. You need to do a Google search to try and check out which group each variety of sweetcorn is from. It may be difficult to check some of the most modern varieties.
As far as I can see, Sundance is an (su) early variety.
Ovation is a mid season supersweet and is best not planted beside the others as it will be adversely affected.
Pop corn is bad news for the others and vice-versa.
Mini-pop should have its pollen tassels removed to prevent problems, and it will be picked early.
The best advice is to grow only sweetcorn varieties from the same group  at the same time.

[cornykev]

Jeannine will be on later to tell you.   8)

[Ninnyscrops.]

I agree with all the cross pollination and not mixing planting if you want to save seed, but if they are true seeds this year they should come true to type.  I'm now on 3rd year of saved seed from Ambrosia and they seem to like my soil, taste as sweet as I like them as I eat them raw from the plant too. I do an handspan and a half when planting.

As corneykev says, our resident expert, Jeannine, will be along soon.

Ninny

PS Jeannine, the Ambrosia last year had fewer white than yellow kernels but tasted just as nice  :)

[Jeannine]

Corn seeds basicall fall inton 4 categories and each has to be seperated from each other, varieties in the or own catagory can be planted together.

Yours..

Sundance is a normal sugary typen abbreviation is su, this acn be planyed with any other su also it can be planted with any se sugat enhanced types

Ovation is a supersweet type abbreviation shu. it cannot be  planed with your Ovation or any su or se types

Mimi pop can be planted with anythonsg as long as harvest them before they tassle, they should be picked before that time but don't let any go over.

Your popcorn needs isolating from them all.

If you mix them yout corn this year will be starchy and often inedible..not nice .Your seeds are hybrid so you won't be ab;le to save seeds anyway, but cross pollinatopm wil spoil your corn with the varoetoes you have.

You can isilate by dsitance but the averayge plot is too small, you acn also isolate by maturity times, as they may all be tasselling at differnt times so try to find thr maturity dates.

|XX Jeannine

[Nigel B]

Blimey! I never knew it was so complex..

So, even if I plant only one variety down at the allotment, there's still a fair chance someone else's will cross-pollinate with mine and mess them up....?
Hmmm.

Ok. I was gifted some, 'Silver Queen' through the forum, and have two other packets. One, an obvious super-sweet variety 'Sweet Bounty F1', and a freebie from Birds Eye that I can't lay my hands on right now, but will be another super-sweet I'm sure.

What about different varieties of super-sweets? If they will  mix ok, I can keep the Silver Queen for the back garden as I believe I can keep the seeds from it for next year, and plant both super-sweets down on the plot.

Looking for trouble, or not?

Advice much appreciated...

[Robert_Brenchley]

On a garden scale, they only have to be ten yards or so from another type. I've had two types flowering at once, at opposite ends of my plot, and had no problems.

[anemone]

Thank you. In that case I think I will keep the popcorn at home - there's only a few of them anyway. Then put the ovation at the plot maybe with the minipops too and try to catch them early.  Sundance will have to wait for another time.