Is there a special way to sow sweetcorn in pots?

[palborn]

As I have been singularly unsuccessful so far

I sowed one seed per 3 inch pot and none have germinated (out of 20). I'm going to have to sow outdoors now and hope the birds don't nick all my seeds (I've only got a few left now )

[shirlthegirl43]

I usually just bung them in any old how and wait. Takes about a week. Mind you, I don't always cover the seeds - poke them about an inch down and leave whatever falls into the hole fall (I actually sit the seed on the soil surface then push down with a pencil)

[Novice Gardener]

none of mine have germinated either. I sowed em in peat pots - 1 to a pot I haven't got any more left, so I'm not gonna bother this year

[scarey55]

Me too, Shirley. I just shove them in small pots with some general purpose compost, sit them on my windowsill and they are up within about a week. My problems start when I try and plant them outside

Are the seeds old, I know this gives a problem with some plants - notably parsnips.

[rustylady]

I had really bad results with Swift last year, pathetic germination. This year we've Conqueror and Tuxedo germinated and growing well in cell trays in the cold greenhouse. Could be a duff pack of seeds - what was the variety and how fresh are they?

[Norm]

I must be weird. I put the seeds in a seed tray and barely covered them, but kept the compost damp and warm. (It's about 38 degrees C in the polyshed). When they got to 3" I put them in 4" pots. All 36 doing fine.

[stormin97]

No problem with mine this year either. I planted 20 Kelvedon Glory and 20 Earlybird in rootrainers on 26th April, kept them at about 28 degrees in a propogator and all but 2 (Kelvedon Glory) came up within a week. Perhaps I'm weird too! (or just lucky).

[Capsid]

I chit mine beforehand in the airing cupboard. Place them in a container with a lid that has a damp paper towel in the bottom. They sprout within a few days and then I pot them up into 3" pots in a cold greenhouse.

[amandaandherveg]

I planted 25 in paper pots and only 4 appeared, humph!. Never grown corn before. Would 4 be enough for a 'block'?

[barrie tough]

grow corn every year been pretty lucky this year only 10 from about 80 .dont no whats gone wrong

[deezyb]

i was gonna go for 6-8 plants...thought this would be enough! no room left so would be somewhere in my flower border or in some deep pots. looks like the percentage of germination is not that great huh? so looks like I need to sow way more than I need, about 20 sowings you think? after looking at this thread, it's prob just a bit of luck also about how many germinate!

D

[celticmyth]

out of 25 planted,about 22 have germinated,my first time growing them too

[squashysu]

My first time growing them as well (well growing anything really!!)

All 6 i planted germinated, i put them in loo rolls and put them in a propagator and left them alone for a week, they were damp and not soaking, so now i have put them in very large pots (3 in each) with peat free compost and they are in the greenhouse still, coming on a treat, they are still in the loo rolls so that i didnt do any root disturbance and i will harden them off soon in a couple of weeks and then make sure that the 6 are next to each other.

SS

[barrie tough]

i was gonna go for 6-8 plants...thought this would be enough! no room left so would be somewhere in my flower border or in some deep pots. looks like the percentage of germination is not that great huh? so looks like I need to sow way more than I need, about 20 sowings you think? after looking at this thread, it's prob just a bit of luck also about how many germinate!

D

hi deezyb its just your luck last year i had about 65 out of 80 this year ten got more i can put in & hope for better results.we are about 15 miles apart so we should be getting about the same results

[amandaandherveg]

Woohoo.... Barrie Tough in Brechin, Deezybe in Kirrie and I'm in Auchenblae, all close to each other and none of us doing too well with the sweetcorn.