[Give it a go]

I thought I would give sweetcorn a try this year. Knowing they are wind pollinated what is the  minimum number of plants that I could grow?

[JayG]

You can get 9 in a 1 metre square block if you cheat on the spacings a little (I do!)

Even if you have less room than that make sure they are planted in a block formation rather than a straight row for the pollination reasons you mention.

[mosser]

I grew them for the first time last season.    They were a bit closer than JayG's 9 to the square metre.    They did ok   Would have been better if I had planted them on the sunny side of the runner beans!!!         Lesson learnt       Give them  a try   and good luck.

[JayG]

I grew them for the first time last season.    They were a bit closer than JayG's 9 to the square metre.    They did ok   Would have been better if I had planted them on the sunny side of the runner beans!!!         Lesson learnt       Give them  a try   and good luck.

If you really want to cheat you can squeeze 16 into a 1m² area but that also requires tricking yourself into believing that you can still plant something right next to the block of sweetcorn!

Not planting out too early (which will send them into a sulk if it's cold) and plenty of food are their main requirements; your only regret will then be that you didn't plant more! 

[parttimer]

Firstly I apologise for hijacking Give ita go's topic but I have heard that sweetcorn are notouriously difficult to get to germinate. 

[JayG]

Firstly I apologise for hijacking Give ita go's topic but I have heard that sweetcorn are notouriously difficult to get to germinate. 

You're in danger of starting off the "to chit or not to chit sweetcorn/parsnips/anything" debate a bit early!   

My two-penn'orth is that F1 sweetcorn seed doesn't germinate too well in year 2, but I expect and get more or less 100% germination when fresh sweetcorn seed is germinated indoors in paper pots without any special treatment. 

[parttimer]

You're in danger of starting off the "to chit or not to chit sweetcorn/parsnips/anything" debate a bit early!   

My two-penn'orth is that F1 sweetcorn seed doesn't germinate too well in year 2, but I expect and get more or less 100% germination when fresh sweetcorn seed is germinated indoors in paper pots without any special treatment. 
[/quote]

Sorry! the last thing I want is to cause a fight only been a member 24 hours.

[mumofstig]

He's only joking!
and I'm starting it 

Quite a few of us here chit their sweetcorn seeds, here http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=34827.msg447195#msg447195

is an old thread about this method. There is quite a bit of banter in there amongst the sensible replies. You have been warned    

But don't chit them yet 

[Nige2Plots]

I always sow at least thirty in Toilet Roll tubes. If they all take, I give some away and plant on what I want! To answer your question, I plant four rows of five in a block.

[Salmo]

Getting back to the proper question. You could get away with 3, 4 or 5 as long as they are planted in a group 18 inches apart, and not in a row. The pollen from the flowers at the top of the plants drops down on to the female plumes lower down on the plant. You will get better pollination when the air is still. You can assist by shaking the plants to make the pollen fall.

[bigben]

JayG - do you plant them about a foot apart then? Being as I am just down the hill from you I wondered. I grew them last year and it was not brill as I started too early put them out early and they died, so had to start again. All I had was two half packets of old left overs so got a poor crop of half formed cobs. The year before it was pretty good but my spacing was around 18 inch each way. Like you I have to hope the weather in not so sunny Sheffield is kind to us. This year I am a bit pushed for space so was not sure if I was going to go for it.

[JayG]

parttimer: Some things are definitely either right or wrong when it comes to gardening,  but the majority of issues are more a matter of personal opinion and experience: the seed-chitting issue is one of the latter and my comment was no more than a reference to an old debate which will no doubt carry on without anyone ever getting hurt! 

bigben: even the F1 supersweet varieties only just make it in what passes for good Sheffield summers in recent years, so they need everything going for them - they really don't like having to suffer temperatures of below about 10C (especially at night) and they also need lots of feeding.

Having said that my only near-failure in about 40 years (on and off) of trying is when I forgot how poor my sandy soil is and forgot to feed them enough.

[Give it a go]

Many thanks for your help guys. I did assume the plants would be spaced further apart 

[Kristen]

I think a foot apart is "tight" and that you will get better cobs if further apart.  14" - 15" is what I do (and the seed packet advises the same - although they vary hugely from Brand to brand ...)

[JayG]

I think a foot apart is "tight" and that you will get better cobs if further apart.  14" - 15" is what I do (and the seed packet advises the same - although they vary hugely from Brand to brand ...)

I agree, a foot apart is tight, but then again I got neither more nor better cobs when using the recommended spacing, which is why I'm trying the "overlapping planting" experiment this year to see if I can squeeze a bit more out of them ("Swift" again until someone can suggest a better, sure-fire alternative!)