Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: willnbirdie on October 03, 2010, 08:44
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Hi
Has anyone got any ideas?
We grew about 8 sweetcorn plants this year - enough for just the 4 of us however I was really disappointed with the outcome.
The first 2 cobs that we picked were absolutely fabulous - lots of lovely juicy kernals and we were looking forward to the others which had all grown to a good size. I had a look at the other cobs and decided that they needed more time.
A couple of weeks later picked some more and there were some lovely juicy kernals with a good yellow colour and several undeveloped ones.
I left the others on the plants until last week - picked those and virtually no developed kernals at all.
Does anyone know what might of caused this so we can try to avoid the same next year.
Thank you
willnbirdie
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Sweet corn are wind pollinated. Could just be that you didn't have enough plants for the pollen to get to all of them.
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I agree with the above. 8 is not many for a decent size block.
Did you grow them in a block, by the way?
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Hi
Thanks for replies - did sort of grow in a block but as you say 8 doesn't make a very good one, plus unlike last year the plants were well sheltered by our 8 foot tall runner bean wigwams so that may have something to do with it. I didn't realise that they were wind pollinated.
Thanks for advice - next year - more plants, definate block style planting and no where near the runner beans.
Cheers guys
willnbirdie
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More plants, in a block and give them a shake when the pollen is apparant on the tassles.
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Worth also sowing in two batches a couple of weeks apart so that the plants polinate over a longer period. Ideally sweetcorn needs a long growing period and good weather which bar a couple weeks we haven't had this year.