Sweetcorn

[chadspad]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained an all that

[Muscroj]

As far as pollination is concerned would it possible to pollenate by hand, with a paintbrush, if they are set too close together, this is something my mum does with her tomatoes & seems to work well

[Millymollymandy]

They are wind pollinated so I think if you were doing it by hand you'd just shake the flowers and hope the pollen or whatever drops on the tassels beneath, but if they are outdoors they'll do it on their own.

Chadspad - 30 !!! Can you get through them all when they're all ripe at once? That's why I try to sow two batches a season but it doesn't always work. So far I've got 3 healthy ones and a pathetic little one from my first sowing of about 9 seeds on a windowsill, one pathetic one from my 2nd sowing of 9 seeds in the cold frame, and now I've sown more of a different variety, which have gone into the heated propagator.

[chadspad]

I would treble that amount if I had the room lol. I freeze them M3 - they freeze wonderfully and retain all their flavour, theyre just as good. As I cant find frozen corn on the cob over here (mmm nor sweetcorn come to think of it - perhaps theres a business opportuntity there lol) I grow as much as I can to try to see me thru the year. Unfortunately theyve not been that god in previous years to give me much leftover stock - but maybe this year will be the one

[clare]

Mine never germinated at all I sowed 2 lots is there still hope can I sow direct outside?or do I need to cover I covered the others but they never came up.
Clare

[Millymollymandy]

You can sow direct into the soil outside now, or into a pot outdoors or in a cold frame.

[Muscroj]

my sweetcorn looks like it's finally picking up after all this hot weather, but I'm having problems with my peas, after having great success germinating the first lot, the more recent ones I've sown just keep rotting in the pots, I was trying to start them off in the greenhouse to give them a fighting chance against the slugs, but is it likely that it's too hot in there now & they're just 'cooking' in the compost, should I just sew them directly into the ground?

[Odsox]

my sweetcorn looks like it's finally picking up after all this hot weather, but I'm having problems with my peas, after having great success germinating the first lot, the more recent ones I've sown just keep rotting in the pots, I was trying to start them off in the greenhouse to give them a fighting chance against the slugs, but is it likely that it's too hot in there now & they're just 'cooking' in the compost, should I just sew them directly into the ground?

Do you really have a problem with slugs eating your peas Muscroj ?
I most definitely live in the slug capital of the world and they eat just about everything EXCEPT peas.
The only thing that affects my peas are weevils which scallop the lower leaves but don't really do that much damage.
I have always considered peas to be a cool climate crop and don't think they like it too hot. I can't say that I've seen that written down anywhere, but when I lived in Kent my summer peas were always rather patchy, but since moving here I have huge crops of peas from March to October with really healthy looking foliage.

Sweetcorn's a bit iffy here though (to get back on topic)

[JulieSherris]

I sowed 24 sweetcorns & popped them in the polytunnel 4 weeks ago - almost as soon as they had germinated, I put them out in the bed, adding to it as the they started... I now have 18 out of the 24 & the other seeds rotted in the tray. The Real Seed folks said that they need it warm to germinate, but cooler to grow on - so far, so good with most of them.

As for peas - well, mine are just flying up! One bed is absolutely choc-a-block with broad beans one side & peas the other - looks most impressive! I don't worry about successive sowings, because when I pick & pod, they either get eaten straight way, and then any left over get popped staright into the freezer for the winter - you can never have enough peas... or runner beans... or broad beans... I'll shurrup... !!

[Millymollymandy]

Well I finally have 10 little plants after 3 sowings and about 30 seeds over the last month. Just wondering if it is worth bothering to sow any more or shall I just put up with the few I have? Trouble is the ones I have are all at different stages of development and are two different varieties, so not sure what will happen about the pollination!

[chadspad]

I would try more M3. Like I said before, my friend dd hers really late - like end of June late and they were fantastic. Always worth a try than to have none at the end of the season I reckon.

[Millymollymandy]

OK I'll try some more but I have just put the propagator away which was the most succesful compared to windowsill or cold frame! However it's a lot warmer outside now.

[Muscroj]

my sweetcorn looks like it's finally picking up after all this hot weather, but I'm having problems with my peas, after having great success germinating the first lot, the more recent ones I've sown just keep rotting in the pots, I was trying to start them off in the greenhouse to give them a fighting chance against the slugs, but is it likely that it's too hot in there now & they're just 'cooking' in the compost, should I just sew them directly into the ground?

Do you really have a problem with slugs eating your peas Muscroj ?
I most definitely live in the slug capital of the world and they eat just about everything EXCEPT peas.
The only thing that affects my peas are weevils which scallop the lower leaves but don't really do that much damage.

most definatly slugs as I've caught the little blighters at it, went out with the secateurs the other night (sorry!!) they were small pale coffee coloured ones, they've eaten through the bottom stalks of my runner beans as we so I've only got one bean plant left.

On the plus side all but one pea plant has survived the slug attacks and my sweetcorn (to get back on topic ) is picking up afterall

[Millymollymandy]

So.... I have sowed 17 more seeds from yet another packet (not sure why I have so many opened packets!) but as I was planting out my first 4 in a block it occured to me that I only have room for the 10 I currently have growing. Might have to try the scrunched up like the farmers' maize approach - if they germinate.

[boboff]

I sowed 2 packets early on this year and got 4 plants out of 80!
I sowed some about 2 weeks ago, as did a friend of mine for me, and out of the 80 we managed between us to germinate 78!
They seem to need allot of heat to germinate. I did mine on wet toilet roll for a few days first, ,left in strong sunlight, this worked for me, you could see the buds of the top, and root, when I was then planting them out. In my garden I seem to have allot better success germinating in the cold frame rather than the greenhouse, the green house is shaded by Oaks, and I was watering daily in there but not the cold frame. Definitely learnt that this year, that when it's not very warm you do allot of damage to plants by overwatering them. Still lesson learnt! I am pleased that it's not just me though that has had a problem with sweetcorn.