[suecoops]

My sweetcorn plants are only about a foot high if that, but I've just seen a photo on here taken today and they look enormous and have cobs on already.  What am I doing wrong and can I do anything to speed them up?

[slowcompost]

Mine are the same, very poor yet around me on other allotments some are good,while some are equally poor.
I think it must be the variety.
I allways thought sweetcorn liked hot dry weather, so i,m not suprised mine are poor, just dont quite understand why some are good.

[rugbymad40]

I have successionally grown sweetcorn this year to try to keep us in fresh cobs rather than freezing them.

The first lot I put in are nearly ready to harvest (Planted in April - you know the month we were praying for rain).
Those planted in May (the month it started to rain) are only half the size of the others, but look likely to give a harvest.  Those planted at the end of May are patchy and very weak.

All are the same variety and purchased at the same time, so I think it has to be cliamte/weather that has caused the difference in success.  Irrespective of how much we yield I know what we have will be cheaper than the shops and far tastier.

[Sadgit]

i have 2 crops like rugbymad, 1 which are about 4ft and some have 3 cobs on the plants.. the others planted 6-8 weeks later are tiny and I am praying i didn't transplant them too late due to the damn rain...

[shaun]

mine are doing great but there on the highest part of the plot and have had plenty of manure dug in before planting.
this pic was taken a few weeks back
http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/album_pic.php?pic_id=613

walking around the site yesterday i did see some very ill looking corn on other plots that have been waterlogged for the past 2 months that might be your reason sue

[Bigbadfrankie]

Mine did ok but are now all going yellow. I think its the water logged ground. Next year I will put ever thing on banks(ridges). Still its going to be dry for the next few days.

[shaun]

ridges might be the way forward frankie can you make them 3 feet high  
one thing that the rain hasnt stopped are the parsnips there realy doing great

[digital_biscuit]

I have sown (april sowing) some nice fast growing F1s and these have ~4 cobs per plant so far. I also have another variety which i sowed in prob June which have no cobs on as yet. Both are in waterlogged ground put i heap the manure around them every now and again and this seems to be helping!! Compared to other peoples allotments near me mine are much better. Seems the poo is the key!!!

[jacnal]

Seems the poo is the key!!!

Might try that. My sweetcorn are so stunted!

[yummy]

We have some Sundance that were planted out in erm.. oops forgot to write it in our book  :oops: Well they are about the only thing doing any good. Approx 3ft high now and cobs starting to form. Lady next door to us has some minipop that is as tall as I am.

[biosolids]

I put in two sorts late  May.  'Minipop' variety for baby corn, but thats gone 7ft plus and no cobs yet.  The main crop type 'sundance' is 5ft but has loads of cobs.   Lots of poo pellets seems to have boosted growth

[muntjac]

dont ferget to smear car grease round the stems to stop earwigs getting at em   and dont let any leaves touch the ground .grease the  first few inches up the stem will do  

[Webby]

Can't see the point in greasing the stems as earwigs have wings!!

[muntjac]

sure do have wings but wings on an earwig's body are shiny cases. Most of the time, the earwig keeps them closed. They keep the earwigs wings protected. When they fly the wing cases snap open. They hardly ever fly.
Flight wings
On wing cases, you can see the flight wings. The wings are so big, the earwig needs to fold the wings 40 times. and they prefer to climb as they are unstable in flight anyways

[Aunt Sally]

I never knew they had wings, you learn something new every day