Sweetcorn

[chadspad]

Seems like Im going to be unlucky with the sweetcorn for another year Some of them are really tall whilst the others have barely grown and already gone to flower. The plants that have flowered and scattered their seeds have no fronds things to pollinate so are these plants going to be cob less?

[JR]

Mine too are very sorry looking apart from a few, Im still kidding myself they may come good!

[Millymollymandy]

My first lot look rubbish too, they do have the fronds but the cobs are so small they're going to be pathetic, that's if they pollinated properly in the first place.

The 2nd lot are coming along very slowly and are a different variety so I will wait and see.

Maybe it was the cool damp spring thus same problem as last year?

[red]

we have about 100 in, 50 cobs kind, 50 minipop. none are flowering yet

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Seems like Im going to be unlucky with the sweetcorn for another year Some of them are really tall whilst the others have barely grown and already gone to flower. The plants that have flowered and scattered their seeds have no fronds things to pollinate so are these plants going to be cob less?

You know Chads, considering the vast tonnage of maize grown in the Vendée, sweetcorn should thrive here, but I've completely given up trying to grow it. Maybe it needs a cooler climate or something?

[chadspad]

Yes youre right Riff - dont think I will bother next year again.

Have sown some later ones too - fingers crossed theyll be better.

Thanks eveyone

[Rod in Japan]

Growing sweetcorn is hard. This was the first year I ever succeeded, on my fourth attempt. In previous years, it was always destroyed by drought, high winds, weeds and general failure to thrive.

This year everything went well and we got a decent crop. Until that is, a tanuki got in and scarfed most of the remaining cobs.

[red]

y'know Rod, you have a whole set of pests a lot of us don't have to worry about! what's a tanuki?

[Rod in Japan]

They're also apparently called 'raccoon dogs'. Actually I'm glad they're around as they have character, and they're easy enough to keep out with nets, if'n you anticipate the problem.

I'll chalk it up to experience.

But sweet corn seems to be a generally vulnerable crop, wherever you happen to be. Birds and insects like it too.

[Millymollymandy]

I assumed sweetcorn needed lots of sun and warmth because this is what I grew 2 years ago when we had a 'normal' spring and summer i.e. dry and warm which produced a great harvest of plums, peaches etc. The sweetcorn plants were 6 foot high or more.

Sweetcorn.jpg (175.42 KiB) Viewed 3531 times

Last year it was about half that height and my spring sown ones this year are only about 4 foot.

[chadspad]

M3 I had a good crop 2 years ago too. Well if its down to the weather not a lot we can do about it really eh? Blooming nuisance tho

[Millymollymandy]

Can you buy sweetcorn in the shops where you live Chadspad? They don't sell it in Brittany although we used to be able to buy it when I lived in Ain! (Same with cos lettuce!). I found it quite amazing that in different parts of France there are some very different produce (and food products) for sale. Of course it was only seasonal and not all year round like in the UK!

[Peggy Sue]

MMM so I'm told sweetcorn is regarded traditionally as cattle feed not human food in France, hence it's not really sold in the shops. (Apparently the French laugh at the Brits for eating cattle fodder....does anyone know if thats true?....seems likely I must admit!)

Anyway, ours are ven owrse this year than last. Only 4 germinated in the one patch, and the other variety a whole 5 germinated- so I can't imagine they will even get pollinated

[Millymollymandy]

Oh very probably Peggy Sue because I believe that's why they don't eat/sell parsnips, although one of our supermarkets now sells them in winter (probably because of the amount of British people going to that shop!). Though if they ever tried sweetcorn instead of tough old maize they would realise they are worlds apart! (yes I have nicked some cobs from a field after spotting an Italian neighbour doing so, but found them inedible!)

Mind you why don't they have purple sprouting broccolli, spring greens or curly kale? Were they once cattle feed?

[Peggy Sue]

What would they know about good food??!!