Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Dopey113 on April 18, 2015, 15:38
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Never grown it before, but I do know you have to plant them close together, whats the best choice for a first timer, and any tips please?
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I've planted sweetcorn 6" apart each way and had good results, as to variety, just find the prettiest picture on the packet or the best "cost to kernal" ratio. :)
Cheers, Tony.
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I didnt realise actually how close they could be planted until i walked the dog alongside a field of maize last year. They were only 3 or 4"apart and the cobs were massive.
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Never grown it before, but I do know you have to plant them close together, whats the best choice for a first timer, and any tips please?
Get a Supersweet variety (which will be an F1 seed) which has been bred for the UK. Old fashioned varieties grow 8' tall and struggle to produce a crop unless we have an amazing Summer. The new varieties are shorter and thus star producing cobs "sooner" and give a good crop even in a mediocre UK summer.
I have grown Swift and Lark (which are similar) and found that Lark grew more cobs-per-plant.
Do NOT grow more than one variety - if they cross pollinate it can make the corns hard or not sweet - if you need to grow two varieties sow them at different times so they don't produce pollen at the same time.
plant them in a grid and NOT in a row (they are wind pollinated)
When you pick them put them in the pan IMMEDIATELY! The Sugar starts turning to starch from the moment you pick them, so don't pick them and put them in the fridge etc :)
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Don't forget the growing guides on the main website:
http://www.allotment-garden.org/grow-your-own/sweetcorn.php
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When I started out last year 1 was told to try a super sweet variety and was given some seed by my plot neighbour. However I forgot to ask for the variety, this year I am trying Swift :)
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I'm doing Swift and Lark this year. I plant some in my greenhouse and the rest outside. Should I separate the two varieties (one inside and one outside) or would it not matter?
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I have been growing this for 4 years now & great results :)
https://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/Sweetcorn_Seed_Seville/
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Thanks for the advice, I got Swift and Lark on your recommendations, but will just do the one this year, and the other next, again thanks
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I'm doing Swift and Lark this year. I plant some in my greenhouse and the rest outside. Should I separate the two varieties (one inside and one outside) or would it not matter?
Best to keep them separate, so one inside and one outside.