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Sweetcorn

BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
in Fruit & veg
I got my sweetcorn planted out later than I'd have liked with no sign of any cobs as yet. Considering my location and the likelihood of wet weather and decreasing temperatures from here on in, I don't fancy my chances of getting anything edible. Any corn growers out there who can cheer me up?
East Lancs
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Posts

  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    Hmm! Not really.
    If you have no cobs I doubt if you will have any now.
    I have a good crop this year. Just waiting for them to fully mature. 2/3 cobs per plant, each one staked after being blown over in the recent storms. Fingers crossed. I tried one a week ago and some of the nibs were not fully developed so decided to leave them another couple of weeks.
  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
    Thanks @Joyce Goldenlily I'm consoling myself with a very high germination rate and healthy looking plants growing well (just nowt to eat!). Just need to get them in the ground earlier next year. Getting some peas from the same patch though so swings and roundabouts  :D

    Out of interest, when did you plant yours?
    East Lancs
  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 758
    edited September 2020
    You've really got no cobs at all, or you've got cobs but they're just not developed? The former is a germination problem, the latter is just a pain  ;) . Assuming the plants are full size and you got the pollen heads, you should have silks etc. Don't necessarily give up yet, last year I planted some late and still got small cobs at the start of October (with a bit of manual pollination help).

    I had mine going back in March/april I think, and harvested my first corns about 2 weeks ago.
  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
    @strelitzia32 I'm way behind - no silks! I knew my chances were minimal when I planted in June but, having not grown corn before, I just wanted to see how far they would go in the process, which I think is unusual and interesting within the veg-growing world. More a tester for growing them 'properly' next year  :)
    East Lancs
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    Remember that they are wind pollinated so need planting in a block rather than straight lines.
  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265
    That (and soil prep) might well be the only things I got right  ;)
    East Lancs
  • BigladBiglad Posts: 3,265



    A month on and this is the most mature plant this morning. Hoping for a second wave of May's weather  :D between now and the end of the year.
    East Lancs
  • NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813
    Badgers.

    Majority of my allotment friends had all of theirs eaten by badgers.

    One chap sunk some wire netting down about a foot into the soil and sprinkled urine next to it which seemed to work.


    Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Bad year for sweetcorn. In fact my worst ever year including the one when the squirrels nabbed em all.  Germinated well, planted out 70 in a block 7 x 10 at the beginning of June.   Then it got cold, windy, the pollen seemed to go before the silks were ready to accept it. I got very poor pollination.  Still lots of leaf for shredding for the compost heap.
  • Ferdinand2000Ferdinand2000 Posts: 537
    NewBoy2 said:
    Badgers.

    Majority of my allotment friends had all of theirs eaten by badgers.

    One chap sunk some wire netting down about a foot into the soil and sprinkled urine next to it which seemed to work.


    Hedgehogs required as an alternative food source...
    “Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
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