Sweetcorn question

[WeeGarden]

I bought two types of open pollinating sweetcorn from Real Seeds this year - Special Swiss and Double Red. I've since read that you shouldn't grow different sweetcorn togetheras cross pollination would make them inedible? Does that mean I can only do one variety? And how would that work on an allotment where the other plots would be growing different to me? Should I keep them separate and grow one type in my garden and the other in allotment? Would sticking to F1 seed make any difference?

[Mr Bones]

Sweet and supersweet varieties should be kept apart, if they cross pollinate the cobs contain hard kernels (usually only odd kernels but they're too hard to eat).
From experience growing sweetcorn on an allotment, it's always been fine for me so long as your immediate neighbour doesn't plant right next to yours. I'd be inclined to plant both types on the plot but keep them well apart and try if possible to align them abreast of the prevailing wind rather than directly one behind the other.
F1 or not won't make any difference, that's more to do with parentage. An F1 variety still needs to pollinate the same way as non F1.
Hope this helps and good luck with the corn.

[nickdub]

Agree with points already made - the other factor to bear in mind is timing - the young cobs are only going to be ready for pollen for a few days, so if the varieties flower several days apart there will be no problem.

[Thelma Sanders]

I've tried the 'sow one lot a couple of weeks later to avoid cross pollination' route and it didn't really work apart from the first cobs on the first planted variety IYSWIM.
By the time the 2nd cobs had formed on the first planted variety the 2nd variety was shedding pollen which pollinated the lower cobs of the earlier variety. So I had mostly bi-coloured cobs, luckily they were all still edible

To avoid cross pollination you need to separate the 2 varieties as much as you possibly can, growing one at home would be ideal as long as next door doesn't grow corn as well Good luck!

[Jungle Jane]

There’s a similar post here that’s got some good advice too -
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...her_93348.html

[casejones]

to prevent corn cross pollination you need to corn varieties that have different maturity times. If plan to plant two different varieties of corn; they need to have maturity difference of at least two week between pollution times.

[WeeGarden]

Thanks all!

[Vince G]

I'm growing Sweetcorn Incredible and Babycorn Minipop. What are the implications of cross-pollination here? I read on the Babycorn packet you're meant to harvest them whilst the tassels are green and, thus, the cobs are babysized, but is there any danger of them contaminating my main sweetcorn Incredible crop?

[Zelenina]

WeeGarden, Special Swiss is a supersweet type which needs to be isolated from other types. Double red is an old-fashioned standard sweet type. So they really do need to be separated. I would suggest growing the supersweet one at home. If pollen from the red one cross-pollinates another variety it could have some red kernels, and vice versa if a non-red pollinates the red. But it shouldn't affect the eating quality unless the other one is a supersweet.

Vince G. You should be harvesting the minipop before it develops any pollen so it shouldn't cause any problems, unless you pick it too late.

[Two_Sheds]

if they cross pollinate the cobs contain hard kernels
.

But ... I’ve always grown different varieties on my plot, and my lotty neighbours grow diff varieties again. The only problem I’ve ever had with corn is poor pollination, where the cobs are full of gaps

[Two_Sheds]

Real Seeds this year - Special Swiss

I had great success with that last year and saved loads of seed (left on plants, in situ, over winter).
Now sown in GH and coming up lovely