Can I grow sweetcorn without a greenhouse?

[Baldy]

Mine never make it off the plot... yum yum

[Selymbria]

The above guide says sow indoors late april but I see many people already started indoors. Is it ok to start now?

[Martin H]

I will be starting my sweetcorn indoors in a couple of weeks. It grows very quickly so I don't want to start too early and be unable to plant them out due to cold weather.

I germinate the seed on damp kitchen towel and plant in rootrainer pots as soon as the little root starts to appear. I stand the pots outside when it's not cold, bring them in at night and on cold days so that they don't get checked. I plant them out in the garden when night temperatures are about 10c, usually mid-May.

[bikermike]

Yes. I've done two years on the bounce. Plant in a block

[Jungle Jane]

Il sow mine in a couple of weeks time too,I had a look on here & last year I sowed them May 5th,they do grow fast,the roots come out the bottom of the pot quicker than some other crops. I don�t chit them,I sow one seed per 3� pot & leave them to it,always have good germination with sweetcorn. This old man who used to read my gas meter asked me what the plants were once (didn�t ask about anything else,he must�ve known what tomato plants look like etc) he was really impressed with them,they do look massive & a great border plant. I like having a few beans growing on one side & training them on a teepee so the beans can travel easily up the cane instead of strangling the corn,once it stopped the corn from growing where it was so tight.

[rary]

As you can see from all the above the answer is yes, i have grown sweet corn in the past but as they required to be grown in blocks of nine i felt that they took up too much space for the returns, but if you have the space well worth growing

[1Bee]

Our last frost date isn't till later in May, here, and I have very limited frost-free space, so I spend at lot of time in March and April doing deep breathing exercises when I see other people are sowing... ;-)

[Muddy_Boots]

Our last frost date isn't till later in May, here, and I have very limited frost-free space, so I spend at lot of time in March and April doing deep breathing exercises when I see other people are sowing... ;-)

I think you better start your breathing exercises as I've already started by sweetcorn off and they are starting to come through .... just taken them a week to show in my unheated greenhouse. Will keep them in there until they are quite tall in their newspaper tubes when they will be transferred to probably plot 3 and planted in a square. Variety is called Amaize F1 (it has to be really) from Johnsons and I bought 2 packs from Wilkos looks like the germination rate will be good.

[bario1]

I put a load in a soggy tub last night to chit - I'll sow them in big root trainers when they sprout, hopefully for planting out in late May.

[KJessi]

I remember someone on the vine years ago planted them from frozen corn from the supermarket! i thought that was amazing.