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Talkback: Sweetcorn crash

Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
in Talkback
We've had so poor a summer up here in summer that my sweet corn have hardly started to develop. Not even the fab autumn weather has made up for the lack of summer sunshine. Better luck next year I suppose.
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  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    After the start we had in the summer with all that rain and heavy winds to follow I quite expected my favourite crop (sweetcorn) to be in the same boat as everyone else seems to be in, but the harvest was as good as all the previous years! Maybe because my pot grown plantlets had a better start than many others? I learned from previous years that when you have had a long wet spell it is very easy to think that they have had enough water and not physically check the soil; I grow on raised beds which do tend to drain faster!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    best sweetcorn ever this year. didnt plant enough. none of the cobs got as far as the cooking pot. i eat them raw for my lunch at the allotment so sweet and juicy. cant wait until next years crop. tried some from the supermarket. no comparison, they must dry out. changing the subject, can anyone tell me why the vines on supermarket tomatoes last so much longer than home picked vine tomatoes? what do they spray them with to make them last.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    this year i was amazed at the number of people on our allotments were all having mold on theirs. as you say its the wet weather we have had - might be better to cover them with a light lint of some sort to help the cobs get a better chance in growing. I'll put it down to experience next year happy winter digging all.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    First time I've tried sweetcorn. I planted 2 packets in the greenhouse. The first were all eaten by a mouse who very tidily left the husks in the corner of the seedtray. The second were attacked by the same creature who sadly did not escape the trap I set. HeHe The 13 seedlings that survived went the allotment and produced some beautiful cobs, which we thoroughly enjoyed. I live down south so the summer wasn't all that bad.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I lost all my sweetcorn to foxes and squirrels this year! Agree about planting seeds in pots first and then planting out. Has anyone tried planting beans to twine up the stems of sweetcorn?
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I grew my '3 sisters' bed as per carol klein. this was sweetcorn, climbing beans, and butternut squashes underneath. My whole plot was a write-off this year (after 15 years, my first truly disastrous one), with the exception of this bed. It was well-mulched with rotted horse manure, water-retaining gel (ho ho - i must have mixed this in on the one day we didn't have rain) and thoroughly weeded. At the end of the bed were sweet peas and sunflowers, to attract good germinating buggie beasties. the sweetcorn was fantastic; big cobs, well-pollinated, delicious. The beans were a bit rampant, and needed extra canes (they were purple climbing beans- very pretty, and easier to find when picking!). The squashes did very well, too - much more so than in previous years, and they were HUGE and delicious. Good job they keep well! Also they did a fantastic job of smothering any weeds that tried to come up. I will definitely do this planting scheme again, and recommend it!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Sounds like you 1.planted your seed to shallowly.
    2.did not mound soil up around the base plants as is recomended 3. Did not add enough potash to you soil bed before planting you seeds as is recommended 4. planting bean at base of corn is good way to get poor crop since the bean vines will pull the ears off the corn plants if are not careful 5. bush bean are better choice since they prevent the problem describe in point #4.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    my corns are the first ive ever grown , as the local council have finally allowed us to take up a allotment . THEY ONLY HAVE 176 PLOTS AVAILAIBLE IN LOCAL AREA BUT ITS TOOK THEM 6 YEARS TO START TO RENT OUT TO THE 5 YEAR BACK LOG OF APLICANTS. So i cleared my plot through the spring and planted corn on the cob , cabbage , potatoes,Brussels, Runner Beans ,peas,aubergine,courgette,lettuce.. all grown in multi purpose and horse manure. courgettes have 3 visible only on getting approx 5inches,corns doing ok WHEN DO I KNOW WHEN TO HARVEST,Aubergine not very tall but 4 snall fruits groing WHEN SHOULD I HARVEST these ??????.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    It's my first year for growing sweetcorn. I lost them all when they were very small, about 5inches. I started again to my amazement they have grown really well; I lost one and one was really slow and has still to flower properly! I have a fair amount of corns growing and they have browned and started to swell. I have had my eye on one in particular it looks fantastic. When you think the corn is ready you should carefully pull back the husk and prick a kernal with your nail; if liquid is milky then it is ready to enjoy.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    What's up all, I'm chic to the forum and fair-minded wanted to roughly hey. hi love touch to comprehend fresh pepole and share in bits with them

    contain a happy year
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