Sweet corn baffling me

[JennieAtkinson]

I give em a good knock, not just a tap and get the pollen really flying around. Mind you that is the in tunnel, so it doesn't get blown around by the wind. I have always had a good harvest with at 3 cobs on each plant, and sometimes a fourth, small one.

[Rodley]

Hi,
Here in S W France, my first batch of sweetcorn failed because of the cold! The second batch have just started showing male tassels. If it's of interest, My garden is opposite a large field of maze (for cattle etc) - they started producing their male tassel about a 10 days ago. Everything seems slow this year.

[Stacey Steve]

While on the subject of sweet corn.

I know I can freeze the whole cobs but is there an easy way of releasing the corn from the cob?

[djhs196]

Freezing Sweet Corn:
Freezing Sweet Corn For Year Round Goodness!

[tootles]

I have sweetcorn too which is only 3-4' tall, one or two are showing what must be the male flower bit (my first year growing them!) but they are not yet out. The farms around here have smaller plants so I'm not too worried (yet).

[squashysu]

ah ha this thread is helping me - my sweetcorn are in a pot and taller than me which is 5'4" they have the flowers at the top and the tassles on the cobs, but the tassels are looking like going a reddy colour, i am gonna go and do some sexing up now and hopefully will get some good cobs, got 2 on each so far, but my other sweetcorn have been really slow to grow, and have just started and they were planted at the same stage,

its all a mystery this growing malarky !!

[swinhoej]

Thanks for this advice, I have never grown sweetcorn before, all seems to be going as it should. I have the male flower things on the tops and my first two silks have shown. I have gently pulled some male bits off the tops and placed them on the silks. How long after the silks show does it take for the corns to grow? This is exciting. My peppers are all coming along great as well as all of my herbs.

[catkeeble]

I think I may try corn on the cob next year...i always assumed it was difficult to grow here, but sounds like it's good fun!!

[T8Ter]

I have to say I've always had good crops of Sweetcorn (usually swift or extrasweet) but have never had to help them pollinate. They are a wind pollinated plant, hence growing them in blocks. The one thing I've picked up in your post louly is that you're growing them in a clay soil - Sweetcorn is a heavy feeder and needs a good rich soil to give it's best. Can you give them a feed of something like miracle grow? (not sure if tomato feed would do, but it probably would)

Edit: - Just looked it up - Sweetcorn require a high nitrogen feed so blood meal or ammonium nitrate applied at the appropriate rate would help

[gojiberry]

I know it depends on variety but 1ft apart seems rather close for sweetcorn. Mine are 18in apart and I'm sure they should have been 2ft. Mine are now over 6ft high and all got at least two cobs on each, am tempted to try a couple to see if they are ready.

Ian