sweetcorn

[Norfolk drew]

Hi I have some rather large sweetcorn plants in pots in the green house but its to cold to plant them outside what can I do with them help please

[rustylady]

How large is rather large? And how many of them do you have?

[buzzingtalk]

I've really struggled with sweetcorn this year...had loads of them fail and rot...but now I got about 12 of them which are good to go but need to go outdoors too! Come on weather, cheer up!

[Norfolk drew]

Rusty lady they are a foot in height and I have 40 plants

[rustylady]

Start hardening them off Drew. Stand outside the greenhouse during the day and back in at night for a couple of days, then outside day and night for another few days (unless frost is forecast) then out to the plot they go.

[Norfolk drew]

Ok I will start hardening them off , should I stake them Once on the plot ?

[rustylady]

Shouldn't need to unless your plot is very windy. I live on the windy coast of East Anglia and I've never staked mine.

[Norfolk drew]

I live about twenty mile from you just north of great Yarmouth my plot is very exposed

[LincolnshireFloyd]

The wind shouldn't damage them while they are young plants but when they mature and produce cobs there is a lot of wind resistance and I've had them blow into each other when there has been a gale. They look a proper mess after a gale but it shouldn't effect the crop as the wind won't uproot them. Just looks unsightly.

[rustylady]

I live about twenty mile from you just north of great Yarmouth my plot is very exposed

Hey, that's 3 of us in a line You, then TwoSheds, then me.

[Norfolk drew]

Thank you everyone for your advice I will keep you updated on how my sweetcorn does

[Two_Sheds]

Ok I will start hardening them off , should I stake them Once on the plot ?

No, but you can earth up the stems a bit, which will anchor the roots a bit more. My sunflowers usually end up at a tipsy angle but the corn stays upright

I live about twenty mile from you just north of great Yarmouth

I'll pop over one day if you like, have a chat, swap some plants? PM me

[buzzingtalk]

EAST ANGLIA MEET-UP PLEASE!!! I'm only in Norwich

I ended up buying some more sweetcorn plants from the local garden center the other day...mine are slowly dying off, seem to be rotting at the base? Haven't been overwatering or anything. they have been going outdoors during the day and back into the house at night, tonight they are going into my greenhouse which has a few broken windows and no door haha. I don't really have much to lose as there aren't too many of them left. They should be hardened off by now, they have been going out for 7 days on the trot now. Hope your ones are OK Drew

[Norfolk drew]

My sweet corn is fine still hardening it off Thanks , went down the allotment tonight and things look a little sorry as its blowing a gale and is quite cold

[Two_Sheds]

I ended up buying some more sweetcorn plants from the local garden center ... Haven't been overwatering or anything.

How do you know ?
You've only had them a few days, you have no idea how they've been "cared" for up until you got them.

If you got them from a DIY store (as opposed to a nursery), then they're very likely to have been put outside too early in the cold, and not been watered correctly