Corn Question

[Alice]

I'm planning to grow 2 kinds of corn this year - Swift (regular type) and Minimop which does the baby corns. I had thought Minimop would make smallish plants and I was planning to grow it in a separate area of the garden from the Swift, but I've learned it gets very big and that could be a problem for the area I was planning. I know different varieties of corn have to be grown separately or they will cross polinate, but as these are 2 different types will they be allright in the same area or will I still have to separate them ?

[rustylady]

I'm growing the same two varieties this year, Alice. Grew Swift last year and it was really good. Just checked the seed packet for Minipop and it says to plant them 10 inches apart, which is closer than for varieties like Swift. I wouldn't have thought cross pollination would be a problem unless you're planning to save seed. Apparently you harvest Minipop while the "tassels" are still green anyway. I've never grown them before so will let everyone know how I get on. Have any of the grapes grown Minipop before - what can we expect?

[valmarg]

We grew both Swift and Minipop last year, about 15' apart, with no problem.

Swift is a fantastic flavoured sweetcorn, and is well worth growning. We have grown it for a couple of years.

We grew Minipop for the first time last year. We were a bit late sowing the seed, and were a bit short of space when we planted it out, so they were a bit closer together than recommended. I think they were about 6" apart. The thing about Minipop (from last year's experience) is they grow tall, but do not spread very wide, so they do not need to be planted so far apart. In fact Moles Seeds recommends that '... they be planted at high density, and produces 5-6 cobs per plant. It does not require pollination to poduce cobs.'

Whereas with the Swift corns, you wait until the tassels wilt before picking the cobs, with Minipop you harvest soon after the tassels appear. From last year's experience if you pick too soon after the tassel appears, you get very small cobs, but it you wait a few days thay are quite a bit larger. If you leave them too long they get very tough. Its a case of trial and error. We shall certainly be growing Minipop again this year, simply because they were easy to grow, and the difference in taste. The supermarket corns tasted like corn flavoured cardboard by comparison. The homegrown Minipops tasted fantastic. I admit we only had a small crop, but what we had was superb.

valmarg

[Alice]

Thanks L J, yes that's helpul.
And thank you Valmarg, very informative. I think you must be our resident corn expert.
If I'm reading all this correctly it means I can grow my Swift and Minimop in the kitchen garden.

[chickenjane]

thank yuo to everyone .
I've just read this thread.Most interesting.
Learning learning all the time

[JennieAtkinson]

Thanks Alice too. Like you my original plan for growing mini pop is not going to work now as they grow too tall, so I was planning to grow both in the tunnel but was worried about cross fertilization. My other corn is Butterscotch an F1 Hybrid. I think this is a supersweet variety. I chose it as it is a vigorous plant with good cold tolerance.

I'll separate the corns from each other, either side of the tunnel and at different ends. Will that be alright I wonder? Grateful as usual for any advice.

[Alice]

We grew both Swift and Minipop last year, about 15' apart, with no problem

valmarg

I think I'll have to go with Valmarg on this one if I want to grow them both in the kitchen garden. Thanks for the recommended distance L J. I haven't been able to find it anywhere.

[JennieAtkinson]

Thanks Lesley - looks like I'm going to have to try one lot outside, my tunnel is only 20 feet long. Although I don't hold out much hope for them. Now which one will it be .........

Good excuse for another polytunnel ....... perhaps not!

[Alice]

I was looking back over the posts on corn from last year and one of the problems is - when they're ready, they're ready and just deteriorate from there. I want to get them at their best and am thinking I'll stagger the planting. Is that a good plan or is there a problem I haven't thought about.

[vicki lorraine]

im growing a supersweet but i also have some seed for blue and red corn from a seed swap. Will i have to plant these a good distance apart? I do not keep my own seed from corn if that helps.

[wellie]

Alice,
Just picking up on your last question there, I really mucked up my sweetcorn germination last year and ended up with very few plants, very late. So this year, I germinated some early, got OK results, so decided to try germinating some more a few weeks later, with huge success! SO, my point being, I have 9 really sturdy plants of 'Incredible' variety, which I shall plant in one area. I have another 30 less mature 'Incredible', from the second sowing, which will get planted in a different area of the potager, only to do with 'space' issues, not varietal...
I know I've not quite got the hang of it yet, but I'll have maybe 18 early cobs and 60 later.
Not quite successional is it?!
Who cares!

[chickenjane]

I was looking back over the posts on corn from last year and one of the problems is - when they're ready, they're ready and just deteriorate from there. I want to get them at their best and am thinking I'll stagger the planting. Is that a good plan or is there a problem I haven't thought about.

the only poss problem I can forsee is the pollenation. If you have v few plants flowering at a time you may have to give them a helping hand by shaking the stuff from the male(top) flower onto the (female) tassels below.

good luck

[JennieAtkinson]

I have to do that in the polytunnel anyway. It worked ok last year.

[vicki lorraine]

Sorry LJ i dont know the variety. Picked them up at the Ryton seed swap and they just said red and blue. I am presuming they are edible.

[Alice]

Thanks ChickenJane, it was pollination problems I was thinking about, but if that's all, I can manage. I'm in my kitchen garden every day anyway so no problem to give all the corn a wee tickle. I think I'll go for successional sowings to get the corn at its best week after week.