Author Topic: Sweetcorn question (Read 15753 times)

shedifice · « **Reply #60 on:** May 02, 2005, 10:33:30 »

Man, these things grow fast!

I put em in and they germinated in a few days. the next I had to make paper pots to sort the roots out.

When does one put these babies in the ground? at about 6-8" like another post?

L.

tim · « **Reply #61 on:** May 02, 2005, 11:27:45 »

The 'norm' is the end of May (unless protected) - at 18" spacing. And I stick to it.

But everyone has their own rules!

philcooper · « **Reply #62 on:** May 02, 2005, 21:27:27 »

x,

I've found that they're once they've germinated they are hard to stop!

They do need to be warm to germinate or I've found that they rot off, so I do it in a propogator. They also produce a very long root so a deep pot is required - I use rootrainers

Once they've germinated (mine have started today after 3 days in the propagator) you need to apply the brakes or they can become leggy very quickly. So as soon as they show through, they're out of the prop and into a coolish part of the greenhouse for a couple of weeks then a week hardening off ready to plant out at the end of the month.

I give them a start on the allotment under half 2litre plastic bottles for a week, this gives them a good start and, with a couple of slug pellets inside the bottle, a fighting chance with the moluscs!

Phil

carrotcake · « **Reply #63 on:** May 02, 2005, 22:23:36 »

I potted mine up about 7 or so days ago in my little propogator house, they seem a bit wet although I have not watered them much at all, I'm worried that they will rot.

carrot-cruncher · « **Reply #64 on:** May 03, 2005, 00:45:26 »

Regarding interplanting other stuff around sweetcorn I found the following link on the internet & it's something I'm trying this year for the first ever time. It's something from America, used by native indians & is called the "Three sisters method"

http://www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/threesisters.html

CC

philcooper · « **Reply #65 on:** May 03, 2005, 09:44:21 »

THe 3 Sisters method has sweet corn with climbing beans climbing up the corn and squashes growing in the shade between them.

It should be noted that where this technique originated, the corn grows over 5' tall making it a good support for the beans. The beans are fairly "gentle" climbers". In the UK you are unlikely to get this height and, with vigorous runners, may well just strangle the corn. The other point to note is that haricot beans were used; the crops were all harvested at the same time when all were dry. Picking green beans from poles with easy access is diffcult enough, trying to find and pick them from a block of corn, without standing on the squashes sounds interesting!

The underplanting with squashes definitely does work. In the very hot summer a couple of years ago the corn's shade reduced the amount of water needed by the squashes.

Elsewhere someone suggested the use of French beans in place of climbers - I don't think this will work as they need sun and won't get it as underplanting

Phil

littlegem · « **Reply #66 on:** May 04, 2005, 14:26:49 »

i've got 11 young corn plants (one didnt happen) if i plant 4 across and 3 back i can plant 3 courgettes inbetween the ones in the front (to get the sun and to reach easily) do i put courgettes down the sun facing side aswell and has anyone any ideas for the other gaps?

philcooper · « **Reply #67 on:** May 04, 2005, 14:40:02 »

LG

The underplanting works for trailing curcubits, not bushes as yours sound to be.

The curcubits are planted where there would be sweetcorn not between them - the trailing stem runs between the corns.

Phil

derbex · « **Reply #68 on:** May 04, 2005, 15:12:37 »

I grew some with F. Beans and Runners last year and it worked well. Got beans & corn, by and large strangulation wasn't a problem, although I did get one or 2 funny shapes :)

Jeremy

littlegem · « **Reply #69 on:** May 05, 2005, 13:56:51 »

phil
totally lost me there i'm afraid. what are curcubits? and what do you reckon is a bush, the sweetcorn?
I need advice in lamens terms please.
i have 11 (hopefully 12) sweetcorn plants, i have planted them out 2ft x 18in apart, (under cloches!!!,) what can i plant in between to get the most out of my space. i have got
Dwarf french beans
Courgettes
burpless cucumber
bush tomatoes
climbing beans
and loads of other stuff not yet started, lettuces, carrots etc, radishes you know where i'm coming from
please somebody tell me exactly what to plant
ta ever so much

philcooper · « **Reply #70 on:** May 05, 2005, 14:11:37 »

LG,

Sorry about that.

Curcubits are sqaushes, marrows, cucumbers and courgettes.

You don't plant the curcubits betwwen the corn, as you have spaced it, you plant one in place of a corn and then trail the stem between the corns.

I was assuming that the courgettes were a bush variety because of the way you described your proposed planting.

As I said early I think dwarf beans would not do well as they will be shaded by the corn (and strangled by the curcubits).

As you have planted your block of corn I would plant the curcubits at the edge of the block and trail the stems between the corns

Regards

phil

littlegem · « **Reply #71 on:** May 05, 2005, 14:20:31 »

phil, thanks for that, i'm a bit of a novice and we've just moved to a house with a massive garden, greenhouse, vinehouse, potting shed type thing etc, so i've got my work cut out for me, i'm trying lots of different thing. i'm so glad i've found this site, its brilliant, i've got loads of books & magazines on gardening, but i tend to get a bit confused cos sometimes they say slightly different things.
i'm gonna do as you say, plant my courgettes just in fornt of my block in the gaps. do u suggest putting straw down? to help keep my 'curcubits' clean. what do you reckon to putting the odd lettuce between the gaps that i can reach?

wardy · « **Reply #72 on:** May 05, 2005, 17:10:26 »

Sounds exciting stuff littlegem :) Your doggy looks lovely by the way :)

I've never grown corn before but am thinking of planting squashes and maybe climbing french beans up the corn (not so rampant as runner beans), and some courgettes round the edges

It doesn't matter if at all doesn;t go to plan Ithat's if you have a plan) but you have to experiment a bit - trial and error is ok I think. ;D

kitty · « **Reply #73 on:** May 05, 2005, 18:09:30 »

the bloke putting up our cat run/fruit cage(which by the way is absolutely bloomin fanblinkintastic!!!.....sorry-got carried away there-but i have waited for this for 13 months.......)where was i?
yes-well-he said-have you got a plan for the garden-(eyeing my vegetables...)
a plan???
a PLAN???
my whole life has been unplanned so far i'm not going to spoil it all now by planning anything!
i e v o l v e...and so should a garden....... ;D

chriszog · « **Reply #74 on:** May 06, 2005, 09:57:52 »

My Sweetcorn last year was fantastic. Only problem was that after picking 4 cobs one weekend the following weekend every cob had been pulled from the plant and eaten. The empty husks were lying all over the place. I thought possibly rats? my neighbour said badgers ?? has anyone had similar problems and how can I stop the same thing happening thuis year?????

Regards
Chriszog

westsussexlottie · « **Reply #75 on:** May 06, 2005, 11:37:59 »

Sounds like a neighbour to me! Who had a barbecque near you????

legless · « **Reply #76 on:** May 13, 2005, 09:53:59 »

my sweetcorn have been going a couple of weeks now on a warm windowsill and all coming along strongly, the tallest is about 6" and the shortest about 2" but with leaves open and doing well, most are 4".

do you think i can put them in the plastic growhouse outside or should they stay in longer?

never grown the stuff before..

sandersj89 · « **Reply #77 on:** May 13, 2005, 09:56:56 »

I have mine in a cold frame at the moment. They germinated in there and are about 4 inches tall now. They will stay in there till the end of the month I expect.

This is in the South by the way.

Jerry

derbex · « **Reply #78 on:** May 13, 2005, 11:41:37 »

I planted mine out in the week, they'd been outside in their loo rolls for a bit but had outgrown them. Great timing ::) -first frost in a month. They seem to have survived though they're down between the broad beans and it was a v. light frost. Now I'm more worried about the beans -although I suspect the real enemy is the slug (they have bottle collars to help though).

Now I'm starting to think about a late sowing, end of June?

Suffolklad · « **Reply #79 on:** May 13, 2005, 12:04:17 »

I'm going on holiday tomorrow, so I've had to just take a chance and bung em all in the ground - didn't even get a chance to harden them off ! Same with my tomatoes, marrows and runner beans. Others on the lotty have planted them already, and mine seem to have survived two really cold nights, so here's hoping.
Thanks for all your tips and advice. I have a whole load more of sweetcorn seed that I am going to just plant straight into the ground when I get back from holiday.
Mike

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Author Topic: Sweetcorn question (Read 15753 times)