Well, have you? I am in Essex (in case I haven't told you enough ;)) and thought with the urchins off school, and not really being able to get to the plot, I could sown them. To early?
I'm in West London and was planning to do mine in loo roll tubes next weekend and plant them out mid/end May - their final planting position has yet to be cleared ::)
So far I have only sowed some old seed, that would have got thrown away anyway. I intend to sow this years fresh seed (Kelvedon Glory) this coming week ...
Hi EJ,
planted mine in toilet roll tubes 2 weeks ago. They are in my greenhouse at the moment, no sign of life as of yet.
Will keep my eyes on them as my first year at trying to grow my own plants, will keep notes for future reference.
DD
Hope to start mine off this week, am using a combination of brand spanking new seed and seed I saved myself last year. With luck I should get something through.
By the time they're ready to go out into the big wide world I should have decided on their final planting position(and finished getting their bed made).
CC
I sowed some of mine a little while back. But they were part of the group of trays that got tossed about a bit when my plastic greenhouse went walkies in the wind.
I sowed 12 seeds, and so far have only 4 germinated. I think possibly the seeds fell out of the paper pots when the tray got tipped. Going to do some more tomorrow. :)
Hello EJ.
I sowed some baby corn and ornamental corn about a week ago in plug trays in the greenhouse, but no sign yet. ::)
I have sown Tender and True and Ovation. The second sowing was a few days ago in a warm propagator. The first sowing gave about a 70% germination within a week and the second about 80%. They are now growing on in a cold greenhouse. Slugs have eaten two, but I should have enough to plant out in early May, weather - and slugs - permitting.
It will be my first attempt at growing sweet corn on my small veggie patch, so it will be very interesting. I shall place 9 plants in a block and my friend is giving me space for a further 12 plants on his patch.
Tricia
I have no more indoor space, and it is forecast to drop to -2°C this week, in my area. So I am going to hold off. Hopefully this will be the last of winters tantrums.
Sowed mine as well down here in Hampshire this past weekend while the showers were being a nuisance.
Will germinate indoors rather than in poly-greenhouse as temperature still too low out there for good germination.
Can anyone clarify whether it really is bad to sow differnet varieties together? Have heard that with the super-sweet varieties, cross-polination messes them up.
Hi EJ :D
I sowed mine yesterday (sunday) in a mini-propagater in my allotment potting shed. Most of my planting will be done over the nest two weeks whilst I have time regardless of what it says on the packet.
I`ll see later if I still have a rat problem in the shed. :'(
Col
Not yet. Hopefully it'll be going in later today. That'll probably trigger more complaints from OH about turning the house into a second allotment!
We sowed ours a few weeks ago in cardboard toilet roll tubes and they are looking good. We planted ours out quite late last year and they ran out of steam because of the weather, so we thought we would give them a longer growing season this year. busy_lizzie
last week, 8 kernels - am going for staggered sowing. All out in mini-greenhouse ready to be brought in for the next few nights to stay warm. No sign of life so will be kept in for longer to coddle them into sprouting. Fingers x'd!
Hi all I started mine yesterday up here in sunny Edinburgh, done half the pack (20) in roottrainers and the others two to a 3" pot. I always start them kinda early as our season aint as long as those of you further south. Iv'e never had full cobs the three years been growing them any Idea's and I usually protect as well.
jock
I haven't had much luck with early sowings in a cold green house. I might start some inside this week -give my daughter something to do- I also find that I want to sow them shallower than recommended.
I'm also going to try a couple of sowings this year, as I know the later ones do well and it spreads the season out.
How do you plant them in toilet rolls? do you just balance them all in a tray or put the roll in a pot? is the idea you then plant out the tube with the plant?
Was planning on starting mine soon. Maybe next weekend.
Silly question but if you plant sweetcorn successionaly wont it reduce the chances of pollination due to the corn flowering at different times?
Quote from: jock_edin on April 03, 2006, 10:59:57
.... Iv'e never had full cobs the three years been growing them any Idea's ...
I never had good cobs until a lady on our site told me to earth up around the base of the stem. I always do this now, a good heap about 6 - 9" high when the plants are about 2 ft high, always get good cobs now.
Glow,
yes and no ;D
I'll look to plant 9 - a dozen each time, and I'm hoping to plant 2 different varieties so I don't want them to cross pollinate. I'll try the supersweet first and hop to beat most other on the site to it. I'm on the SW side so I'm in with a chance. I may put runner beans in with them too -it's worked in the past.
Jeremy
Not yet. I am planning to do it on Wednesday morning in cardboard tubes as some of my tomatoes have just germinated and can now be moved to a slightly cooler location, which will provide a bit of much needed space.
daisymay...I put 12 tubes 4x3 into an ice cream container which offers support and sufficient depth. I rest corn seed on top of damp compost, cover with cling film, pop in airing cupboard and have had 100% success. after germination, I then cover with soil and finish off on the windowsill before transferring to cold plastic greenhouse. When I plant out, I bury some of the stem as the roots are shallow. Good luck to all Sweetcorn growers....my favourite lottie crop. Mmmmm
like busy lizzie I too sowed mine a few weeks ago, for exactly the same reason- to ensure they had a lengthly growing season.
They were placed into airing cupboard and shot up in no time, so to stall them a bit, I have put them in g'house with gentle heat.
I shall have to plant them into loo rolls as they are approx 5" at the mo, with the beginnings of green leaves.
Shall sow a second batch in a week or so, just in case... ;)
Debs
oh heck - another thing I need to sow. THe list is getting longer and longer.
Quote from: dingerbell on April 03, 2006, 14:30:37
daisymay...I put 12 tubes 4x3 into an ice cream container which offers support and sufficient depth. I rest corn seed on top of damp compost, cover with cling film, pop in airing cupboard and have had 100% success. after germination, I then cover with soil and finish off on the windowsill before transferring to cold plastic greenhouse. When I plant out, I bury some of the stem as the roots are shallow. Good luck to all Sweetcorn growers....my favourite lottie crop. Mmmmm
Thanks Dingerbell - sounds good. Will give it a go
Well if evreyone else is sowing, I will make some room for my corn somewhere. On my patio by day and indoors at night, I suppose.
Yes Dingerbell, one of mine too. I had some frozen cobs heated on my allotment barbeque for a late lunch yesterday afternoon ... delicious !
I am getting a few corns to germinate from old seed, and will sow my new seed at the end of the week I think.
I was going to wait until after Easter....but after reading all these posts, think I'd better get on with it!
Well I haven't done mine yet Periwinkle, and to be honest, the way this week has now shaped up, I won't be able to do them until next week. Plenty of time, I'm sure of it! :-\
Put mine in just now. Hopefully, it can go in a cold frame in a couple of weeks.
Quote from: Curry on April 03, 2006, 21:10:15
I am getting a few corns to germinate from old seed
Is "making" your own sweetcorn seed as simple as letting kernels dry before prising them away from the husk?
Mine were sown in pots today.... ;D
Louisa x
I planted mine in coir pots in the greenhouse about 3 weeks ago. I started them in a propogator and got 100% germination. They're now growing strongly in a slightly heated greenhouse. Most plants are now about 3 inches tall with 4 leaves.
I'll sow more seeds directly into the soil when it warms up a bit. That should give an early and a later crop.
Stork
Not yet! But I'd better get them in since Jock has done his and he is very close to me!! I never use root trainers/loo rolls just 3" pots and then transfer into 6/7" pots for a while before finally planting out when they are a decent size. I don't earth up but do plant pretty close together - worked so far so fingers crossed again this year........
EJ, I don't sow mine till back end of April .Think it is plenty early enough with being in south Yorks.. :) cheers ..Jim
Jim, I'm in S. Yorks too.
Think I sowed mine early May last year, but I reckon they could have done with another couple of weeks to grow as only some of the cobs matured.
I'll be sticking some seed in loo rolls in a propagator this week, a week or so in the house and then into the greenhouse (then the cold frame if I ever get round to building it ::)). Then I'll plant out late May.
Of all the crops I grew last year, these were by far the tastiest and most enjoyable (2 varieties, Indian Summer and I can't remember the other ???) so this year I have 4 or 5 varieties.
Think I need a chest freezer.
l
Blimey-haven`t even thought about sowing sweetcorn yet-was -3C here last night.
Jen-earthing up is the key-Bob Flowerdew mentioned it some years back-and it does make a difference