Sowing sweetcorn

[4Shoes]

Sweetcorn is coming along nicely.




Going to go up a pot size until I can decide what to do with it.


Needs to grow on in the polytunnel because or the wind.

Was thinking of growing in buckets 10l or so. will this work?


Not going to have beds for a year or so. Wasn't planning a raised bed until then.

[WalterWhite]

Sweetcorn is coming along nicely.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]80676[/ATTACH]


Going to go up a pot size until I can decide what to do with it.


Needs to grow on in the polytunnel because or the wind.

Was thinking of growing in buckets 10l or so. will this work?


Not going to have beds for a year or so. Wasn't planning a raised bed until then.

Grow them outdoors.

Sweetcorn requires wind for pollination. Plant them in blocks to improve pollination.

[4Shoes]

Grow them outdoors.

Sweetcorn requires wind for pollination. Plant them in blocks to improve pollination.

They can't go outdoors. Wind just strips the leaves. Last 2 years ended up with 12" stalks.

Plan is to grow near door and if not enough wind, shake them

[1Bee]

My swifts were sown 30th April, were planted out around 18th May ish, and are now nearly at the top of their pop bottle cloches. Coming on really nicely! But I'm desperate for some time to cut some grass and mulch them - that really improved the soil for them last year, the worms went mental.

[4Shoes]

They can't go outdoors. Wind just strips the leaves. Last 2 years ended up with 12" stalks.

Plan is to grow near door and if not enough wind, shake them

OK the corn went in on 1st June. They have taken a wee burst of growth and now look like this





Starting to get tassels.

What next?

1st time got them to this stage.

[It never rains..it pours]

OK the corn went in on 1st June. They have taken a wee burst of growth and now look like this


[ATTACH=CONFIG]81454[/ATTACH]


Starting to get tassels.

What next?

1st time got them to this stage.

1st year here but so far have found, the tassels will grow alot taller and then the silks will start appearing. On small number of plants it seems to me, hand shaking on a still day is better than wind as pollen falls down to silks vs blown away
Mine outside are doing ok but a sheltered spot and staked each end with string across, dont think if were in open they would survive the winds in a normal year, like you have found

Outside and greenhouse pics

[nickdub]

Starting to get tassels.

What next?

1st time got them to this stage.

Once the tassels on the cobs turn brown and start falling off, peel back the covering a bit and use your thumbnail to puncture a kernel - if the juice is clear = leave them, when it turns milky = ready to harvest, hard and dry = too late.

Happy Gardening :-)

[4Shoes]

Looks like I have a problem then. They have reached the top of the tunnel.

Will just have to wait and see.

[1Bee]

Someone (Zelenina) posted a really useful pictoral guide to how to tell when the cobs are ripe - mine were unripe for weeks after the silks turned brown and fell off.

Here's a good one. https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn...grainfill.html

[It never rains..it pours]

Looks like I have a problem then. They have reached the top of the tunnel.

Will just have to wait and see.

Had similar issue in greenhouse here. Would think you are ok for the silks (cobs) as they form are no higher than tassle emergance height. You may need to convince the tassles to follow the curve of the tunnel roof as they grow up. Then if they are not directly above silks when dropping pollen do some pollen tranfer with a paper bag or a sheet of paper, etc

[It never rains..it pours]

Someone (Zelenina) posted a really useful pictoral guide to how to tell when the cobs are ripe - mine were unripe for weeks after the silks turned brown and fell off.

Here's a good one. https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn...grainfill.html

Thank you 1Bee, very helpful

[4Shoes]

Had similar issue in greenhouse here. Would think you are ok for the silks (cobs) as they form are no higher than tassle emergance height. You may need to convince the tassles to follow the curve of the tunnel roof as they grow up. Then if they are not directly above silks when dropping pollen do some pollen tranfer with a paper bag or a sheet of paper, etc

great idea Just assigned the task to OH.... No great enthusiasm for task , so expect I'll need to be on the case

[chris_m]

Had similar issue in greenhouse here. Would think you are ok for the silks (cobs) as they form are no higher than tassle emergance height. You may need to convince the tassles to follow the curve of the tunnel roof as they grow up. Then if they are not directly above silks when dropping pollen do some pollen tranfer with a paper bag or a sheet of paper, etc

Similar problem here - I started having to encourage the tallest of the stems to run along the greenhouse ridge instead of trying to push the glass out over a week ago. Since it has tassels but not silks yet I reckon there's a good chance the former will be something like 4 feet away from the latter in the horizontal plane !!!

I was considering trying a 1" or even 2" paintbrush to try transferring pollen - does that sound worth doing?