Growing Sweet corn in the north

[Sylvan]

It's really worth reading the info isn't it!

[Two_Sheds]

thin to two plants per pot

Start them off in loo rolls under glass if you can, in April. Plant out the strongest in May (harden off correctly)

i live in Bury St Edmunds

Just down the road then: pop it into your profile, it will really help

[SarzWix]

I've just ordered both varieties available from Real Seed Co. I'll try one type on each plot and decide which is best. Seems like the best option to get something adaptable to my conditions without it being genetically 'fiddled with'...

[Kristen]

This year i'm planning on growing sweetcorn in four large, square pots. My plan is probably to sow say 5 seeds per pot and thin to two plants per pot (although i may start them in a growhouse before transplanting). The pots will be arranged so they form a square as from what i've read this will be as good a block as i can form for pollination purposes.

Sounds OK to me. I wonder whether one-per-pot would be better? Sweetcorn is normally planted 18" apart (each way) and crowding them tends to reduce their yield, hence I'm not sure about two-per-pot - unless the pots are bigger than 18"!

Feed them well if they are in pots, they are hungry feeders!

If you can starts the pots indoors you can make an earlier start. Beware that they grow quickly, so you only have about 3 weeks from sowing (in loo rolls, say) to needing to plant out - and within that time you need a week (say) of hardening off. (If you can keep the pots indoors [at night at least] then you won't have the 3-weeks-to-transplanting-problem) - or you may not be trying to get a super-early crop and can plant after the last frost.

Sweetcorn are my Number One vegetable for unbeatable taste compared to supermarket-bought though, so good luck!

[JamesM]

Start them off in loo rolls under glass if you can, in April.

I don't think i'll be able to do this, but could you elaborate on the loo roll bit please?

Sounds OK to me. I wonder whether one-per-pot would be better? Sweetcorn is normally planted 18" apart (each way) and crowding them tends to reduce their yield, hence I'm not sure about two-per-pot - unless the pots are bigger than 18"!

I had read someone had success sowing them closer than recommended and had supposed this would have been my best chance of a big crop- would you recommend the one-per-pot for more corn then?

many thanks

[Two_Sheds]

could you elaborate on the loo roll bit please?

Sowing into loo rolls instead of plastic pots: saves money, uses up rubbish
Works for peas, beans, sweetcorn, all sorts.
Plant the whole thing straight into the soil, minimises root disturbance. The cardboard simply rots away

[Kristen]

A key reason why I used loo rolls was on plants that dislike root disturbance - particularly Sweetcorn and Parsnips.

Depending on how many loo rolls you have? !! newspaper pots may be a more attractive proposition (I grow 50 parsnips and 100 sweetcorn, not entirely sure how many loo rolls we get through, but storing that many is a bit tedious so they tend to go on the compost heap instead.) and I now use newspaper pots in preference to loo rolls (mainly because I can make them 6" - 7" tall)

[JamesM]

I'm sure with a bit of effort we can muster up a few toilet rolls Sounds like a good idea especially to minimise the disturbance to the roots. At the risk of coming across particualrly dense here- does the soil not fall straight through the bottom when they're moved? Should the bottom of the toilet roll be twisted or packed with newspaper or something?

[Kristen]

I'm sure with a bit of effort we can muster up a few toilet rolls

I am uncomfortable with the image that that conjures up!

does the soil not fall straight through the bottom when they're moved?

not to the extent that you would think. You need to put them on something when they are filled (a gravel tray or seed tray), but if the compost is tamped down a bit, and once it has compacted a bit through watering, and contains some roots, its surprisingly robust.

Needs to be handled a bit more delicately, when planting out, than plastic pots ... but that's about it.

[4390evans]

I grow sweetcorn quite easily each year here in NE England. Even last year with the horrible summer we had I still had a good crop.
No idea what variety it was........only remember they were 19p a packet from Netto.

what month did you sow seeds xx

[BUFFS]

we have grown sweetcorn for some years now and they do well, except last "summer",i do find that they tie up an area for some time, we haven't tried the mixed planting as we don't like squashes etc..

[Bigmallly]

what month did you sow seeds xx

This thread is coming up to 3 years old but there is a bit of inf o here:


Sweetcorn does not germinate when soil or compost temperatures are below 10C (50F)
Sow at 18-21C (65-70F) from mid-April to early May in modules or deep pots at a depth of 2.5cm (1in). Use early, mid season and late varieties to extend the cropping season. Sow 2-3 seeds per pot and thin to leave the strongest seedling.