Hi All
Having sown some old swetcorn seed just to see if it came up I got one plant. Will it produce on its own or does it need cross pollinators? Ive always grown 8 in a square patterm before.
Thanks
David
Sweetcorn loner
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
Hi David
Funny, I've had exactly the same result - sowed about 25 sweetcorn seeds left over from last year, and only one has grown
There's a lesson to be learnt there, I think; I will be buying fresh sweetcorn seed in the future.
As regards your question, I've discarded my loner. I must admit I felt a bit guilty for depriving the one viable plant of the chance of life, but sweetcorn really does need to be grown in numbers - preferably in a block - to get even half-decent pollination.
I've also read on several occasions that you don't want cross-pollination between different varieties (although I'm not sure if that just applies to the super-sweet varieties). I would say that unless you are lucky enough to have a close neighbour who happens to be growing exactly the same variety, so you can cheekily plant yours near enough to get the pollen, it isn't worth keeping it! To be honest, given that one plant rarely produces more than two decent cobs anyway, I don't think it's worth the effort. But that's just my opinion. If you want to give it a chance, what is there to lose!
Good luck, if you go for it
Funny, I've had exactly the same result - sowed about 25 sweetcorn seeds left over from last year, and only one has grown
There's a lesson to be learnt there, I think; I will be buying fresh sweetcorn seed in the future.As regards your question, I've discarded my loner. I must admit I felt a bit guilty for depriving the one viable plant of the chance of life, but sweetcorn really does need to be grown in numbers - preferably in a block - to get even half-decent pollination.
I've also read on several occasions that you don't want cross-pollination between different varieties (although I'm not sure if that just applies to the super-sweet varieties). I would say that unless you are lucky enough to have a close neighbour who happens to be growing exactly the same variety, so you can cheekily plant yours near enough to get the pollen, it isn't worth keeping it! To be honest, given that one plant rarely produces more than two decent cobs anyway, I don't think it's worth the effort. But that's just my opinion. If you want to give it a chance, what is there to lose!
Good luck, if you go for it
Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Thanks very much - I get the idea.
I garden at home now in some Harrods raised beds and there is knowone near at all. Maybe I'll donate it to the lads down the allotment. I owe them for the years of advice so this is small recompense. I'll also probably learn a lot just by going down for a chat.
I miss the afternoons of going down with a plan in mind and ending up doin nothing but shootin the breeze.............................
Cheers
I garden at home now in some Harrods raised beds and there is knowone near at all. Maybe I'll donate it to the lads down the allotment. I owe them for the years of advice so this is small recompense. I'll also probably learn a lot just by going down for a chat.
I miss the afternoons of going down with a plan in mind and ending up doin nothing but shootin the breeze.............................
Cheers
Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids.
There is absolutely no reason why 1 sweetcorn plant should not produce one or two cobs. They are self pollinating with the help of the wind, or your help. When the pollen is mobile, shake the pollen from the male part onto the female part.
Hi Realfood,
Easily said but not so easy to carryout. The minimum for Sweetcorn should be 3 grown in an 18" triangle with the tip of the triangle into the prevailing wind direction.
David and Caz,
It is not too late to grow a fresh batch of seeds. I notice yesterday that Fodder Maize was been drilled yesterday and even the earlier crops of FM are only just breaking the surface. Before that is cut it will attain heights up to 6ft before it is cut and generally has more than 2 cobs per plant.
Here it is grown as a Pheasant sanctuary from the nasty men with guns!
JB.
Easily said but not so easy to carryout. The minimum for Sweetcorn should be 3 grown in an 18" triangle with the tip of the triangle into the prevailing wind direction.
David and Caz,
It is not too late to grow a fresh batch of seeds. I notice yesterday that Fodder Maize was been drilled yesterday and even the earlier crops of FM are only just breaking the surface. Before that is cut it will attain heights up to 6ft before it is cut and generally has more than 2 cobs per plant.
Here it is grown as a Pheasant sanctuary from the nasty men with guns!
JB.
Thankyou all.
Think I'll just sow the rest of the packet and see what happens. I always have problems getting edible cobs anyway. They always sem to come out of the pan too chewy....
Any other advice on getting them from seed to tummy?
David?
Think I'll just sow the rest of the packet and see what happens. I always have problems getting edible cobs anyway. They always sem to come out of the pan too chewy....
Any other advice on getting them from seed to tummy?
David?
Insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids.
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Primrose
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My first sowing of sweet corn seedlings got badly battered by wind after I temporarily took them out of my mini greenhouse to harden off so I resowed from last year's seed packet. Only 3 out of 10 have germinated, although from the first batch, also from the same packet, virtually every one germinated so I wonder whether it has been something to do with fluctuating temperatures during the termination process rather than age of the seed. The first batch are just about still hanging on but I have no great hopes for them.
Hi David,
Suspect that you are harvesting too late.
Best way to cook Sweetcorn is to put a saucepan full of water on the hotplate bring to the boil then rush out to the plot cut your cob peel as you rush back up the plot and place in saucepan as you enter the kitchen. Now that's what I call cooked fresh picked!
Only snag nowadays is that I cannot rush anywhere so I have to do it at a suave saunter!
JB.
Suspect that you are harvesting too late.
Best way to cook Sweetcorn is to put a saucepan full of water on the hotplate bring to the boil then rush out to the plot cut your cob peel as you rush back up the plot and place in saucepan as you enter the kitchen. Now that's what I call cooked fresh picked!
Only snag nowadays is that I cannot rush anywhere so I have to do it at a suave saunter!
JB.
Re chewy sweetcorn. It also helps if you grow the extra tender and sweet varieties, tendersweets, such as Swift and Lark. Planted out some 15 plants of each variety today.
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FelixLeiter
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Sweetcorn seeds have excellent viability and will store for up to 10 years. But the seeds are sensitive, and I think it's more likely that poor germination has resulted from fluctuating temperatures. A dip in temperature, even for one night, at a critical time can lead to many rotting off.
If corn is tough after you've cooked it, it's because the cobs are too old. Many text books advise the "thumbnail test", that is, press your thumbnail into a developing seed to see if if the sap runs milky. It is when it has reached that point that the cobs are optimal, but what isn't always mentioned is that after then, the sugar starts turning to starch and the cobs get tough, but they still pass the thumbnail test.
If corn is tough after you've cooked it, it's because the cobs are too old. Many text books advise the "thumbnail test", that is, press your thumbnail into a developing seed to see if if the sap runs milky. It is when it has reached that point that the cobs are optimal, but what isn't always mentioned is that after then, the sugar starts turning to starch and the cobs get tough, but they still pass the thumbnail test.
Allotment, but little achieved.
When you cook the cobs in boiling water don't use any salt as you would with most veg - salty water will toughen the cobs.
We find it easier to nuke them in the microwave - just wrap in greaseproof paper give them a few minutes on full power.
John
We find it easier to nuke them in the microwave - just wrap in greaseproof paper give them a few minutes on full power.
John
The Gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men’s lives, the hours spent fishing Assyrian tablet
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning Werner Heisenberg
I am a man and the world is my urinal
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning Werner Heisenberg
I am a man and the world is my urinal
Re Tough sweetcorn, I agree with the thumb nail test, it's exactly what I do, also when the corn is ready and if you have too many cobs ready at once, I put them all in the freezer, they always come out sweet and tender.
Re growing them from seed, I used to have problems, but now I nearly have 100% germination even from old seed, I put them in a seed tray (with some compost in) and only put a sprinkle of soil on top, then when they start to grown I transplant them. It seems to stop the rotting of the seed I used to get from planting them too deep.
I would be interested in any tips of how to get a guaranteed 2-3 cobs off each plant though...
Re growing them from seed, I used to have problems, but now I nearly have 100% germination even from old seed, I put them in a seed tray (with some compost in) and only put a sprinkle of soil on top, then when they start to grown I transplant them. It seems to stop the rotting of the seed I used to get from planting them too deep.
I would be interested in any tips of how to get a guaranteed 2-3 cobs off each plant though...
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Compo
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I agree with the thumbnail test but you have to more technical than just looking for milky sap, if looks like skimmed milk, pail and watery it is too thin, it oozes out like condensed milk the corn might have gone too far, in my opinion it is the consistency of single cream one is probably looking for.
A second point or question is this, you can find that you damage a lot of cobs in this way because you have to peel back the outer leaves of the husk to get access to the yellow stuff, you can end up with a lot of cobs that you can only used half of because you have peeled back the leaves and then the exposed cobs go brown and shrivelled. Problem being the cobs mature at different times...............any further tips on this anyone?
PS dont forget your sweetcorn likes fertile soil and does not like to dry out, this current wet and warm weather is good, we then need sun later on to ripen it all nicely.
CoMpO
A second point or question is this, you can find that you damage a lot of cobs in this way because you have to peel back the outer leaves of the husk to get access to the yellow stuff, you can end up with a lot of cobs that you can only used half of because you have peeled back the leaves and then the exposed cobs go brown and shrivelled. Problem being the cobs mature at different times...............any further tips on this anyone?
PS dont forget your sweetcorn likes fertile soil and does not like to dry out, this current wet and warm weather is good, we then need sun later on to ripen it all nicely.
CoMpO
If I am not on the plot, I am not happy.........