Kitchen Garden Forum

I don't know if this is really seasonal, but ...

This year I tried an idea I heard of from a French maize grower, which has given me my best filled sweetcorn cobs by far to date - kernels right up to the tip.

How ? Sow one lot of corn in pots in mid April, and then again two weeks later. When you plant them out, plant them in alternate rows. The reasoning is that the peak pollen production and best time for pollination don't actually coincide, so by this method half of your sweetcorn at least should get better pollination. Seemed to work for me !

That is a good idea Tony, I read about it a few years ago but never tried it. I did notice this year that most of the male pollen producing tops seemed to have finished before the silks were fully formed and didn't think I would have any crop at all this year. The sparrows had been eating them too.

Fortunately I've been pleasantly surprised and have some nice fat cobs ready and they seem to have all been pollinated well with no bits missing.
I've not looked at the cobs lower down the plants though, so they may not be as good.

I think I'll still try your method next year and see if they are even better.

Hi Tony,
What a wonderful tip! This was obviously born out of somebody really applying their brain. It pays to get to understand the plant you are growing by observing them through all phases of growth. To be of best use it is best to record these phases. At the time they may seem trivial but if you then, through the long winter months, read and maybe read previous years records you really get to know what there is to know for success in growing that particular plant.
Out of sheer interest do you get any cobs from the first sown plants or are they simply pollen providers?
JB.

Will definitely try that next year - it's been copied and pasted into my notes!!

Johnboy wrote:Out of sheer interest do you get any cobs from the first sown plants or are they simply pollen providers?
JB.

Some cobs on those, but not that well filled - about the top 1/2 to 1/3rd of those cobs not pollinated. Still Ok for soup etc.

I'm confused. I thought the problem was the male flowers / pollen came first then the female flowers / cobs so you need the pollen from the second batch to pollinate the first batch with the second batch being less likely to set as they are growing like a normal single age planting.

glallotments wrote : it's been copied and pasted into my notes!!

Mine too. Thanks for the idea, Tony.

am I the only person who has got NO sweetcorn crop to speak of this year? I don't know why when last year's was perfectly ok

One of my plot neighbours was complaining about this today. It's strange as ours have been good - wonder if it was the variety.

might have been - but I grew two different varieties, neither supersweets, with the same result

We grew Honey Bantam & Sweet Nugget

We've had a good crop of Northern Sweet in a cold greenhouse. Shredding them today - the best part, wife eats all the corn.

Mine were poor as well MKPoshfan. None of the cobs
were filed completely, the individual nuggets were small
and nothing to write home about the taste. I definately
think it was the variety which was a super sweet that
I haven't tried before - back to the tried and tested for
next season.

Westi

I've grown Lark again this year from Marshalls. I tried Bantam last year which did well but wasn't as sweet as Lark.

Hi Westi,
How are you growing your sweetcorn and how many? You obviously have a pollination problem and over the years I have found that by planting in an 18" triangular pattern thus:
-----x
x----- wind blowing from the left. This seem to give an even pollination.
-----x

x equals corn plant.
--- only there to keep the 'obnyy!' x's from going into a straight line!
JB.