Author Topic: Sweetcorn question (Read 15576 times)

Suffolklad · « **Reply #20 on:** April 20, 2005, 15:47:26 »

Thanks so much for all your advice - isn't the internet wonderful ?

We are not highbrow enough to have a broadsheet in the house, so I had to make do with the Daily Mirror :o

There weren't any images showing on the link page for paper pots, so I got by with a mixture of guesswork and prayer :

I sat the loo rolls in the top of the paper pots so that the roots have something to grow into and don't run riot. Seems to have worked ok - only time will tell.

Nature took a hand in "slowing down" the second trayful - a bl***y snail in the greenhouse took the young shoots off ALL of them ! Hopefully they will recover.
The snail is in big trouble if I find him - extra protein for the chooks !

Mike

Moggle · « **Reply #21 on:** April 20, 2005, 15:51:41 »

They look right to me Mike :)

Hope you find that snail!

Alimo · « **Reply #22 on:** April 21, 2005, 14:43:47 »

I made the mistake of sowing them in pots.

Up they came the roots showing through the bottom of the pot. So today I've planted them out... wondering whether to start off some more, just in case they don't like the disturbance. ???

aquilegia · « **Reply #23 on:** April 21, 2005, 15:25:25 »

First time I grew sweetcorn (in my first year of sowing seeds!) I grew them in pots and they worked beautifully. Got loads of cobs off them. Last year I decided to try them in loo rolls and they all withered to nothing after planting out. My point to Alimo really - be gentle with them and I'm sure they'll be fine!

Sprout · « **Reply #24 on:** April 21, 2005, 19:22:49 »

How many rows would you plant to form a block?

Alimo · « **Reply #25 on:** April 21, 2005, 19:36:02 »

Thanks Aqui - now I'm looking out of the window worried about tomorrow's weather !

wivvles · « **Reply #26 on:** April 22, 2005, 07:42:19 »

Quote from: Sprout on April 21, 2005, 19:22:49

How many rows would you plant to form a block?

However many you have. Last year I had 9 plants in a 3x3 block and that worked pretty well - once the plants are producing pollen, tap the stems to release it and aid pollination.

This year I'm hoping to do at least three times as many.

Suffolklad · « **Reply #27 on:** April 22, 2005, 07:52:15 »

Blimey....I think I've gone a bit overboard with my 50-odd plants then :o

Maybe I can do a remake of "Fields of Fire" or something ::)

Mind you - they are to feed the chooks too.................

Mike

kenkew · « **Reply #28 on:** April 22, 2005, 07:54:07 »

I plant either 4x3 or 4x4 rows. Don't forget you can always catch crop between them.

wivvles · « **Reply #29 on:** April 22, 2005, 07:54:34 »

Quote from: allotmentchooks on April 22, 2005, 07:52:15

Blimey....I think I've gone a bit overboard with my 50-odd plants then :o

Maybe I can do a remake of "Fields of Fire" or something ::)

Mind you - they are to feed the chooks too.................

Mike

I'd do that many (and more) if I had room - but squeezing everything in means that it just isn't feasible....

kitty · « **Reply #30 on:** April 22, 2005, 07:55:50 »

i shall now confess...
years ago(about 20-odd)..me and the oh were new to growing things...we planted some sweetcorn plants and we kept looking and looking.....nothing was happening.....we looked and looked.....nothing-nowt-nada!

then we stopped looking at the tassels at the top and noticed bloomin great fat corn cobs FURTHUR DOWN THE PLANT!!!!!!!!!
well.....no-one told us that the tassels at the top had nothing to do with the cobs-duh! ::) ::) ::)
much rejoicing when we found 'em tho!

kitty ;D

Suffolklad · « **Reply #31 on:** April 22, 2005, 08:36:05 »

Quote from: kitty on April 22, 2005, 07:55:50

then we stopped looking at the tassels at the top and noticed bloomin great fat corn cobs FURTHUR DOWN THE PLANT!!!!!!!!!

I was doing the same thing last autumn, looking at other plotholders plants ;D

The hardest thing with being a total newbie to this is not knowing how much of different things to plant. I have 3 plots, and I think I'm committing the classic beginners error by planting too much...................
Mike

philcooper · « **Reply #32 on:** April 22, 2005, 11:09:16 »

Quote from: kenkew on April 22, 2005, 07:54:07

I plant either 4x3 or 4x4 rows. Don't forget you can always catch crop between them.

Lots of peole have great success with squashes, marrows and cucumbers between the corn. I plant them on the edge of the sweet corn block and trail the plants into the block.

My "blocks" are in 4' 6" by 15' beds that's 3 x 10 corns (less any for the marrows etc)

Last year the corns produced 2 cobs on average and I have 2 beds - this means there are still a few cobs in the freezer now.

Lettuce is also good between the corns as it appreciates the shade

Phil

lewolf · « **Reply #33 on:** April 22, 2005, 11:52:12 »

Quote from: aquilegia on April 21, 2005, 15:25:25

First time I grew sweetcorn (in my first year of sowing seeds!) I grew them in pots and they worked beautifully. Got loads of cobs off them. Last year I decided to try them in loo rolls and they all withered to nothing after planting out. My point to Alimo really - be gentle with them and I'm sure they'll be fine!

How big were the pots and what soil medium did you use?

Thanks

Nell

P.S newbie alert! hi to everyone and thanks for all the posts I've been reading over the past couple of weeks

osprey480 · « **Reply #34 on:** April 22, 2005, 12:46:07 »

I always put my seed into pots about middle of this month. I plant out early june when frost has gone. I have never had a problem planting straight from pot. I dig out small hole and put some rooster booster in hole and set sweet corn on top of this before filling in hole. They get away very quick with this feed and have always done very well. I also grow the mini-cobs for stir fries, when you grow these they do not have to be planted in blocks as the mini corn is picked as soon as the"tassles" form on the cobs and are picked before they are fertilised. I get about five from each plant.

Derek · « **Reply #35 on:** April 23, 2005, 07:42:38 »

I grew Sweetcorn for the first time last year...thirty plants all weel over six feet high doing great.
Along comes Mr Badger and in a couple of days took most of the cobs...not just mine but other plotholders crops too.

This year its war...the plants are already in pots (another thirty) and the defenses are being meticulously planned... chicken wire fencing.

Any other thoughts welcome...watch towers, searchlights all considered ;D

Derek

Suffolklad · « **Reply #36 on:** April 23, 2005, 07:48:04 »

My only thought is that badgers will go through chicken wire like it doesn't exist.

Sorry

Mike

shedifice · « **Reply #37 on:** April 23, 2005, 08:06:12 »

Can someone explain the pumkin/squaush in between the corn thing please :)

L.

Charlotte Sometimes · « **Reply #38 on:** April 23, 2005, 17:33:11 »

L

You are meant to leave a fair distance between each corn plant (about 30 cm). That leaves a lot of bare soil going to waste between them. So people sow salad crops and other stuff that will use up the space but hopefully not deprive the corn of the nutrients it needs. I think that's the idea anyhow!

I tried sweetcorn last year - they looked great up until a point, at which the cobs all turned brown and the foliage went straw-like - BEFORE the cobs had ripened. Most disappointing. I started them in large containers and like others have said, only to hear later about them not liking root disturbance. So, I am trying again this year with the loo rolls. Planted them out yesterday and realised the roots were all growing out of the bottoms, so I hope they're going to be alright. :-\

Charlie

Derekthefox · « **Reply #39 on:** April 23, 2005, 18:11:21 »

I love sweetcorn so planted 100 plants last year, on a grid spacing of about 500mm. Yielded a total of 129 sweetcorn if I remember correctly.
Also planted 4 winter squash plants amongst them, which also fruited well.

Am hoping to plant similar quantities this year . . .

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Author Topic: Sweetcorn question (Read 15576 times)