I've now picked all my sweetcorn and munched the lot - yummy!!
Is there anything to gain by leaving the plants in the ground for a couple of months to die of their own accord? :-\ like I do with my runner beans plants.
Or is it ok to dig them up. I'm not planting on that bit now till the early spuds go in next year.
Many thanks
Not really - they'll deter the weeds a bit though. I leave mine in the ground until i dig it, then chop them up and dig them in as i go.
Sweetcorn plants have very tough roots, and can be difficult to pull up! I have left mine in before, but they looked very scruffy. The roots are not nitrogen fixing like beans as far as I know......so I can't think of any specific advantage of leaving them in, except perhaps of providing a shelter for overwintering insects....but you might harbour goodies and baddies!
Hi Deewillow and welcome to the forum. I personally dig mine up, just in case they harbour nasties like Deb says. Plus mine are in my garden and look untidy :-\ ;)
hi, deewillow, nice to meet you..I've left a few in the ground as the cucumbers have grown through them..mind you, I've cut the tops off ;D
It is exactly the question I always ask at this time.
Last year the compost bin was full so I dug them up and left them in a pile and put black plastic over them.
They were easy to dispose of when the plastic was lifted in Spring.
Himself has been having a couple of cobs for breakfast stating it is no different to fresh cornflakes.
leave them alone for the winter!! a dry home is just what ladybirds need for the winter, I found over 20 in one dead corn plant this spring! ;)
:)thanks for the replies.....I decided to make the most of the glorious sunshine today, but while the ground is still soft, and dig them all up. I put the tops on the compost and took the big roots and stalks up the tip on the way home.
Phew - time to sit in the garden now and flick through the seed catalogue for next year.....