Sowing sweetcorn

[4Shoes]

Just going through the seed box and noticed the sweetcorn lurking. Last time I tried to grow it outside . Didn't work. Now thinking of a few plants in the polytunnel.

Looking at the focus planner for my area, this is the week to sow them (but then that is based on going outside)
so advice needed I think....

Best to grow in Toilet Rolls / Root Trainers or will standard pots do?
When in tunnel, MFB's or raised beds?
i.e. do they like hot feet or like to keep cool feet whilst enjoying the sum
Is there a minimum number for a block?

Know you need to give it a good shake for pollination.

[nickdub]

so advice needed I think....

Best to grow in Toilet Rolls / Root Trainers or will standard pots do?
When in tunnel, MFB's or raised beds?
i.e. do they like hot feet or like to keep cool feet whilst enjoying the sum
Is there a minimum number for a block?

I can answer a couple of your questions :-

1) definitely better started in some sort of container with no bottom like a loo roll centre (because of not breaking the roots)
2) The bigger the block the better, but I'd say a realistic minimum was 12

I expect someone-else will be able to pick up the other things you'd like to know.

[Martin H]

Just going through the seed box and noticed the sweetcorn lurking. Last time I tried to grow it outside . Didn't work. Now thinking of a few plants in the polytunnel.

Looking at the focus planner for my area, this is the week to sow them (but then that is based on going outside)
so advice needed I think....

Best to grow in Toilet Rolls / Root Trainers or will standard pots do?
When in tunnel, MFB's or raised beds?
i.e. do they like hot feet or like to keep cool feet whilst enjoying the sum
Is there a minimum number for a block?

Know you need to give it a good shake for pollination.

I like to chit the sweetcorn seed on a paper towel indoors before sowing, to save compost.
Then I usually sow in rootrainers, but I've started them in ordinary pots before and they were fine. They aren't in there for very long because they grow so quickly.

The more sun the better, but they are thirsty plants so give them a good soaking regularly.

I grew a block of 9 once and got well filled cobs on all the plants, but I think this is pushing it. That was outdoors, so there's more air movement than you would get in a polytunnel. You'll have to be diligent with the shaking once the silks appear, to make sure every thread of silk gets some pollen.

It's not a difficult crop really, not compared to something like cauliflowers. Good luck!

[Jungle Jane]

I haven’t started mine yet,I sow one seed per 3” pot,inside on the sunniest windowsill. Once germinated they go outside in the sun during the day,chase the sun around with your pots! The smallest amount I’ve grown in a block was 6 (variety Seville) if you gently shake & help pollination all the tassels can get pollinated,each silk leads to a corn so try & get pollen on each silk or you get gappy corn,in a big block there’s more pollen more chance of the wind helping with pollination (unless undercover,that would be difficult with a large block!)

[Small pumpkin]

I'm growing sweet corn for the first time this year.
I've learned a lot from reading this thread.
Thank you everyone.

[chris_m]

I pre-chitted mine this year using a technique that Potstubsdustbins put in the no-show peas thread, attributed to Two Sheds.
I soaked the seeds for 24 hours, rinsed & drained them and left them in the same pot. Every 24 hours I inspected them and took out any with roots showing before rinsing and draining the rest for leaving another 24 hours.
Any that showed roots went into deep rootrainers until they'd all broken the surface, then the whole lot was planted out about a fortnight later - some in one of my veggie beds and some in a deep growbag in the back of the greenhouse.

[muck lover]

I grew some sweetcorn in the polytunnel a couple of years ago in the raused beds.
It grew at a terrifying rate. Enormous. And it got absolutely covered in big fat black aphids. There was a thick layer of pollen everywhere. Eventually i removed and shredded it because of the aphids. Theres an awful lot of plant for a couple of cobs. I am going to try growing some outside this year. Maybe underplant with french beans.
But if your polytunnel is big and the aphids dont move in i think the plants love the conditions in a polytunnel. The roots can be kept a bit cooler by planting something underneath. Good luck.

[Jungle Jane]

I had tiny aphids inside a few of the first leaf peelings of the corn cobs,I had a lot of runner beans next to them & amongst them but it’s a different aphid to the black aphid on the beans (nasturtium helps attract those) even though the aphids are there,after a few leaves have been pulled & you get to the cob there’s no aphids that get that far. Earwigs are a problem though if they eat the silks,keep an eye on the silks if they start disappearing. I found a big fat one inside a cob a couple of years ago,earwigs eat aphids so it could attract them,everything is out to get our veg,sow a few more than you need. Give them a high nitrogen fertiliser.

Edit - I think it was a different aphid because my beans weren’t affected?

[burnie]

Mine has just starting to peep through today, in the blowaway in the greenhouse, where it will be growing in the border again.

[bramble]

I am growing Lark.
I sowed 12 but just 7 have germinated so going to sow another 5.
Sowed them in toilet roll inners.

[1Bee]

Haven't sown yet, but will be soon...

Chit; sow in loo roll inners/rootrainers; plant out under cut off lemonade bottles with plenty of manure/chicken manure/grass clippings/comfrey.... mulch with grass clippings and feed when it looks like they need it. I had alot of trouble last year trying to judge when they were ready (tassels were brown long before they were ripe, but someone (Zene...?) provided a really good photographic link to show the stages of ripening.

[Greenleaves]

Mine were sown today, I so in modules and transplant, I know the text say they don't like being transplanted but never had an issue. Lark this year for me and grown in two blocks of 20 plants.

I will sow a second batch in 4 weeks

[veggiechicken]

I'm going to sow into modules tonight - Earlibird - because I have 2 packets of them.
I've never grown a decent corn cob so this year I'm growing them for the chooks. They'll thank me for it.

[nickdub]

Mostly depends on weather I think VC, if you're growing them outside - I've had a few successes and a few failures. I probably won't bother with them again as I can eat a few cobs, then I've had enough.

[4Shoes]

I'm going to sow into modules tonight - Earlibird - because I have 2 packets of them.
I've never grown a decent corn cob so this year I'm growing them for the chooks. They'll thank me for it.

They'll get double treat - fresh cobs and stalks