Sweetcorn - In or Out

[Akela Ben]

Hi

I have about 20 sweetcorn plants that I will plant out in a couple of weeks. But should I plant them in my polytunnel or outside, which is best.

Thanks guys and gals.

[rustylady]

I think they'd be better outside - You're in Wales which is I assume fairly warm in summer, and sweetcorn are wind pollinated. This is why you need to plant them in blocks - the wind blows the plants, the pollen falls off and onto the female flowers of the plant next door or next door but one, hey presto fertilisation and sweetcorn cobs!!! If you grow them in the tunnel you will need to go round daily tapping the plants to achieve the same effect!!

[allotmentlady]

Best off outside........rustylady has given you sound advice but dont put them in a too windy location.
Are you growing courgettes in your polytunnel?

[Two_Sheds]

yep, sweetcorn is wind-pollinated.
I'm going to try and grow mine in a horseshoe-shaped block this year, so I can put a deckchair in the hollow bit, hidden away in a suntrap with a beer and sweetcorn rustling all around me.

[Alison]

Mine are in the greenhouse at the moment in root trainers but are gradually being hardened off so that I can plant them in blocks in the garden in a few weeks time.

[terrier]

Mine don't want to seem to grow, I think I've got a duff lot of seed. Is it too late to start again with new seed???

[Alison]

Not too late yet, yet them in quicky and make sure that you don't let them get too cold or wet otherwise the seeds will rot. Started mine off on the window ledge in root trainers with the propogator lid over and they all came through in just over a week by which time I'd removed the lid and moved them out to the conservatory and now on to the cold greenhouse. Think I planted them about 10 May but may have misremembered and my planting diary isn't to hand.

[kentvegplot]

Mine don't want to seem to grow, I think I've got a duff lot of seed. Is it too late to start again with new seed???

Mine were slow starters and I've only got 12 out of 20. I expect that's enough though! Incidentally, they came through over a week or so, despite my trying to be very careful about having the same depth for each seed

[busylizzie]

On GQT, they said this week is when you can start to sow sweetcorn outside so shouldn't be too late. I planted some inside about a week ago and I'm going to do another lot outside when I get a chance!

[momol]

My sweet corns were planted out 4 days ago, they were hardened off for 2 weeks prior to that.

[Flummery]

In, out - in, out (shake it all about!) Not growing it this year myself, but someone on our lottie site has his out already. I put mine out mid-May last year (then it flooded everywhere - didn't like to take the chance that they were connected so I'm not bothering - you should all be fine!)