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.

[jdlondon]

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