sweetcorn

Me too, I've heard 3 out of 4 crops fail! Is this true?

I grew sweetcorn last year successfully. Planted in peat plants in April outside, thought I had lost the lot due to the heavy rain last May so sowed another lot, however all survived and were planted in the allottment. Great to go and pick fresh.

planted mine in the GH last week but personally id not put/plant out just yet>< end of month maybe .As for tips plant lots keep um close togeather in a sunny place and when in flower help pollinat ( blowing or fine mist spraying of water ) As for 3-4 fail this maybe true but I think they mean 100% germination corns per sweetcorn .(not meaning plant)

plant it in a block at least 3 feet square, so about 12 plants. They need to be close to pollinate each other.


Even though it was pretty wet last year I got 2 or 3 cobs from every plant and they were delicious! Have planted my seeds in the greenhouse last weekend - will plant them out in May.

Yummy

Ah, sweetcorn, definately our favorite annual crop. There is no comparison between the shop brought stuff. The sugars turn to starch within hours of picking so follow the old adage about putting your water on to boil,walking too pick it and running back to boil it.

It doesn't like root disturbance and thus is best sown direct but if you you are using F1 hybrid seed of the supersweet varieties it is jolly expensive thus most people steal a march on nature and sown indoors. I use 3" pots (peat pots if i've got them) and plant out with bulb planter (some use loo rolls-i don't like them). If you are setting out early it hates cold and you can use old water bottles with the bottoms removed for cloches. We can never get too much and sow three batches for late April to June-last one direct (2 seeds per station)

Set out in blocks 12-15" apart. They are wind pollinated and unless the pollen from the male flowers on the top does not reach the silks at the end of the developing cobs the kernels will not develop. Many growers like to give them a little shake as they pass by to aid this-especially important if you grow in a poly-tunnel.

Rich moist land is good but add a balanced fertilizer with not not too much nitrogen or it will be all plant and no cob.-they love a grass clipping mulch and many people grow squashes underneath to save space, reduce weeds, shade ground etc.

To test pefect ripeness- which,like peas is short lived, peel back the covering and press your thumb nail into what should be a plump kernal when the juice is creamy it is over-ripe.

They are pretty trouble free , maybe frit fly, but Badgers love them and will wait till the night of perfect ripeness before flattening and eating the lot...a very irritating problem at our allotment.

I agree with Paul - it is one of those crops which is a pure pleasure and when home grown it shows you how old and tough the shop-bought cobs really are!

I haven't heard stories about 3 in 4 crops failing - I think that's a bit of a tale. I got some cobs the first time I tried and I just followed the basic advice. My soil is very lightweight and I don't get full sun all day, but they still produced.

As with many of the larger seeds, make sure that they are not kept wet and cold after sowing. The seeds can easily rot in this situation. Don't sow too early - April to May is fine. Always block plant them and water well. They may need staking if you have a windy plot.

It's definitely worth trying - you'll be thrilled when you pick your first cob!

I'm a newbie & tried them last year (my 1st year) and got at least one cob per plant. Didn't find them hard to grow at all, despite my soil being heavy clay. Just sowed them in pots & planted them out in a block of 3 x 4 plants when they reached a decent size. I did do the shaking thing to help them polinate though.