Sowing sweetcorn

[Baldy]

Had a mild panic attack in the bath just now... Somewhat related to suddenly thinking I should have sown my (well, buying it would be the first step) sweetcorn by now. Looking at RHS and other sites it seems it was a misconception.
Has anyone sown indoors yet? I may start making my paper pots just to ensure I'm ready.

[Small pumpkin]

Not sown any yet. Going to do it later this month ( if it warms up ).
Don't listen to me though! This is my first year trying to grow sweet corn.

[seasprout]

I will be planting my Sweetcorn out 1st weekend of June, so working backwards I will be sowing 6 weeks earlier, so approx late April.

[Indica]

You have plenty of time!

If you germinate in a heated propagator it should not take long than 7 days to germinate and emerge from the soil casing layer. Get them established ideally under grow lighting as sweetcorn loves it and the long duration of light.

Then you need a good 10 days to harden them off to put out nearing the end of May - early June.

Always had superb success with sweetcorn. Make sure to purchase strains that are suited to your climate. Some require long & warm summers.

As 'SeaSpout' mentioned, 6 weeks is enough time in typical circumstances but using indoor lighting gets them off to a very good start.

If the weather continues like this it wont be sweetcorn growing, more like watercress.

[WalterWhite]

Make sure to purchase strains that are suited to your climate. Some require long & warm summers.

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I made this mistake a few years ago when attempting to grow a Mexican variety. Needed a much longer growing period than the UK could provide. Tiny corns, not edible.. Failed.

[Baldy]

I've done well with sweetcorn - except for last year when there wasn't enough sun in the sky over Devon for long enough (or I did something else wrong)

Welcome along Indica by the way - maybe go over to the 'introduce yourself' thread and, um, introduce yourself? - and Walter, i may have to revisit my old avatar

[Paulie]

Third or fourth week in April for me - depending on weather - in the greenhouse. Sown in toilet roll inners. Then into the earth in the second half of May. This generally works for me.

[Guest]

Sometime after the 20th of April for me

[It never rains..it pours]

Planted mine yesterday, first year so dont listen to me. The calendar on garden focus said second week April but patience lacking on a wet day

[Snoop Puss]

I'll be sowing direct. First lot second to third week in May depending on the weather, second lot mid June. I grow Lark, a quick-growing variety, so I expect to harvest the second lot sometime from early September onwards.

Does anyone else sow direct, or is the season too short for that where you are?

[Baldy]

too short I'd say snoop - its hard enough when you remember to sow it indoors in time...
you have no rain but quite a lot of sun I think - I have something that tends to the reverse of that and sweetcorn ain't happy about it

[Snoop Puss]

According to Seedaholic, Lark needs 70 to 110 frost free days; Seedparade say as early as 75 days. Challenger, if you can find it in the UK, is supposedly 72 days. Swift is apparently 83 days or thereabouts.

I've had better luck with Lark than Swift. Maybe the few extra days make a difference.

[Thelma Sanders]

I usually start towards the end of April, when I do my courgettes and squash - reckon they'll be a bit later than that this year, unless the weather warms up in a hurry!
I always chit mine in a placcy box somewhere warm (sometimes they only take 24hrs if they're warm enough!) before putting them into tall paper pots out in the greenhouse for a few weeks. Then plant out on the plot, under fleece cloche if it still feels nippy.
Usually grow Lark or Swift and not noticed much difference between the 2 varieties tbh.

[mat]

Over the years, I've had better results direct sowing under jam jars in mid-May, rather than starting indoors. I tend to do both, though, for insurance.

[muck lover]

You know when I was a child sweetcorn was considered terribly exotic. In my early twenties I felt super sophisticated eating it as a starter with melted butter. My parents always regarded it with suspicion as a very fancy expensive luxury.