Allotments 4 All

Hello, I'm going to try growing sweetcorn for the first time next year.

Could anyone  please recommend a variety that could survive in N.E.England and offer any basic advice?

thanks

i always grow incredible 6ft high 2 cobs 10 inches long and very cheap wilcos 3for2 £3.20 for 3 packets 50 seeds in each high germination id say 98% nice and sweet we eat them without butter thats how sweet and juicy they are hope this helps

I've grown a few but always come back to Lark - lovely sweet flavour, not too big (cobs will fit in a medium saucepan) and quite a vigorous reliable plant.

Lark and Swift are my two favourites, both reliable and produce good-sized well-filled cobs. One cob 3 minutes in the microwave then slathered with butter, salt and pepper - YUM!

Tricia 

Thanks, so I can expect 2 cobs per plant?

Any specific conditions they like/dislike?

sweetcorn really isnt very fussy about soil just keep weed free plant a foot apart each way plant in blocks rather than rows water in dry periods and well when cobs begin to form and then when the tastles turn dark brown there ready to eat after harvest put the lay whole plant   into the bottom of your bean trench for next year cover with paper or  cardboard or grass cuttings then raw kitchen waste all sorted for next years runners all in all a perfect crop hope this helps

Wow!! How do they help the beans? (OK for mange tout also?)

Is it usually 2 cobs per plant?

I've used the variety Swiss Special from Real Seeds the past 2 years and they're very strong growers with an average of 2 cobs per plant (not the biggest cobs though) ... they're a supersweet variety and are also true breeding so I'm keeping my own seeds too - so they're free!  Next year I will be trying them in a 3 sister plot.

I generally grow Swift, it's an F1 so not worth saving seeds, I tend to plant them a bit closer than some so I only expect one cob per plant but it will be a good one, they do tend to all crop together so you need to make some space in the freezer come harvest time...

as they rot down they give back there nutrients and keep the moisture in and bean love water

Hi johnnyco15 do you break the corn stalks into small bits or leave them as whole?

I always go for an F1 hybrid as they seem to give stronger more uniform plants. Even with those two cobs per plant are standard. So 20 plants will crop around 40 cobs.

For your area you need to look for an early variety. Swift lives up to its name, no doubt Lark is good too. You also need to be aware that planting them out when the nights are too cold results in the plants yellowing and looking sick although they do grow out of that once conditions improve.

They are not difficult to grow given a little tlc early on.

Quote from: clumsy on September 26, 2015, 21:00:56
Hi johnnyco15 do you break the corn stalks into small bits or leave them as whole?

depends what mood im in or how many ive put in after around the 5th one they go in whole lol

My preferences are Tasty Gold and Sweet Nugget, never tried any of the others so I can't compare!

Swift: very sweet and reliable. Interestingly, on Beechgrove garden today they felt Lark was an improvement over Swift....?

Being just across the allotment Avenue from DebP can I put in a minority report for "Ovation"... 

I like Earlybird. They have proved very reliable.  I do several sowing so they do not all come together.

Mostly get two per plant, but this year only one but nice full cobs.  I microwave mine with the leaves still on (4 minutes)  so the saucepan is not important.  I am often one of the few on my site to get a good crop.  I start mine on the windowsill, then then planting out put plastic bottles over the plants until the leaves are well out of the top.   I do not leave them long in the modules.

I've found  Northern extrasweet F1 to do the best on our allotment in Northumberland as it is very early so it gets the chance to ripen properly.  Lark was a disappointment and incredible was ok. I can't remember the other variety I tried.

My earlier post was recommendations for the north east. I'm with saddad regarding ovation sweetcorn. Reliable good quality crops. A real treat.

It's lark for me, sweet and tender just the way you want it!