Corn Question

[Paulottie]

Saving the seed

Only just learnt this year about supersweet varieties not being too close to others. We plant about 12 a fortnight from April to June. I brought 'F1 Sundance' this year, which we rated highly a few years back. I figure I got about 90/100 seeds from 3 packs and I'll be doing ok if i get 70 plants to maturity.

The problem is the price of the seed. If I want to save seed that's true to type- do I need to hand pollinate? then cover the cob with a bag? would it still mature? I don't have a polytunnel anymore I but, am not going to plant any saved seed on the lottie this year as I can't be sure of its parenthood (the kids will enjoy the popcorn tho!) Anybody got any advice?

Like the idea of using the minipop as a tempory screen, I have had some seed for 5 years+ and never used it- always thought 'I prefer proper corn' so wouldn't give the space up. I may have just the spot at home if you can grow in a row (and it's still viable.) Alice, now I can only hope my wife will pop out to our kitchen gaden and give my tassles a wee tickle occassionally.

[Flummery]

F1 hybrids don't come true to seed Paul. You'll need an older, open-polinated variety if you want to be sure what your corn will be like.

[Paulottie]

Are there any that are really worth growing? or will it be starchy cattle fodder?

[Poledragon]

www.realseeds.co.uk do Double Standard, an heirloom bi-coloured corn. I'm growing this for the first time this year and intend on trying to save the seed. They choose their varieties for taste as much as anything else so any variety they sell can be pretty much guaranteed to taste good.

[Alice]

Thanks Paulottie, I'm definitely going to go for a successional sowing and tickle them myself. Good info about corn coming up from eveybody.

[rustylady]

Force of habit, I go round the greenhouse and the allotment tapping plants to release pollen. It always seems to work. The wind does a good job too, specially with sweetcorn, and the bees and other insects seem to sort the rest out.

[JennieAtkinson]

Great thread this - and been such a help. I think I have worked out what to do with my two types. I've reorganised the plan for the polytunnel and will have them growing at either end, but in the middle I'll have a large screen of French and Runner Beans. That should give me 20 feet distance between the two and as I "tickle" them myself anyway, I'll just try not to be too overly! Does that sound as though it will work? There is just no point in me planting any outside - they wouldn't stand a chance.

I potted on the mini-pop tonight. They are very quick germinators and I have been staggered at the size of the root in just a few days. I can see they will be quite aggressive growers.

[Alice]

I'm going for roughly same tactics as you Jennie, but I'm going to do a bit of successional sowing to try and get the corn just at it's peak of readiness and not gone past.
Hasn't this just been a great thread. Thanks to everyone for all their help. Cleared up a few things for me.

[JennieAtkinson]

Thanks for starting it Alice. I think I would have ended up with no corn otherwise!

[wheatleys wheels]

I'm new to growing corn and can't remember what variety I have but I know they are proper cobs and are all the same type. I wanted to clarify "tassles". I want to know when I can pick the corn and when it's ripe for picking. It said something on here about tassles... what do they sort of look like?

[Flummery]

Morning WW. When the corn cob forms there is a silky 'tassle' (no other word for it!) at the pointy end of the cob. Pick the large corn cobs when the tassle goes brownish. I haven't grown the mini stuff but gather that these must be picked before this stage.

As to starchy chicken-food Paul, in the USA where the stuff grows well, they reckon that to avoid starchy corn you boil the water first, walk out to pick your cobs and then run back!

Flum

[Paulottie]

Thanks Flum... Pretty much do that already! nothing like just picked corn... but I wondered if I could save my own seed for a supersweet variety, (Although some open pollinated varieties are great if you treat them like you suggest i'm just being a shoestring perfectionist) -if i could make sure it was only pollinated by the same (i.e by tassle tickling then protecting the cob from further wind pollination with a bag) I am no botonist but can't understand why it wouldn't be true to type. I don't think i've quite grasped this F1 thing. I mean how do the seed companies do it? anyone got a good link?

[Cutecumber]

F1 are the first generation cross of two plants.

The product of this first generation will not come true.

I'll have a look for an appropriate link for you.

(thanks for the seeds, btw!)

[Flummery]

To get an F1 you have to cross the two original plants again each year for fresh seed. That's why they charge you folding currency!

[Paulottie]

OK, I understand, sorry I was being a bit slow! Thanks Flum

Seeds just dropped on doormat- Thanks to you too CuteC- Off to plant them on the way to work