Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Mark's Sussex Allotment on February 13, 2014, 09:33
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I understand this is subjective, but I'll take the one said most I guess.
Unless there has been a poll before?
Kind regards.
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However many answers you get someone is bound to mention "Swift" so it may as well be me! :)
Any variety bred specifically for the UK climate is worth considering - they tend to be shorter and therefore quicker to mature, which of course can be handy in the average British summer!
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I have found 'Lark' to be good BUT all sweetcorn really does need a good long summer. And I would second the vote for 'Swift'. :)
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I grew Incredible F1 last year and they were excellent.
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A round of 'Applause' from me 'ere. 8)
Cheers, Tony.
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Sparrow and Honeydew are very nice :D
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I was impressed with Earlibird in 2012 during that wet summer - mine went on to be productive while I watched my neighbours pull out their stunted plants (the dry spring was tempting to plant early ...)
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we did f1 swift last year which was excellent :)
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I have got F1 rising sun. Hope it is ok because in the north.
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Lark without a shadow of doubt. I grew Swift two or three years back and had very poor germination. I wasn't the only one that year (check the threads - I think Kristen mentioned the same problem), so maybe it was just a bad batch. In any case, Lark is reliable and delicious.
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I have Rising Sun too this year, having had Lark last year. It was very tasty, but fancied a change this year.
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Incredible for us. Superb last year and will order again without hesitation :lol:
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Grew Swift for a few years but found them a bit sickly sweet last year! Fancied a change so went for ambrosia, which looks a bit different and sounds good.
Totty
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I have grown LARK for 5 yrs and it as never failed .Still got plenty in the freezer ,comes out as fresh as the day it went in .
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The RHS lists 4 varieties (http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Veg-A-to-Z/Sweet-corn), 3 of which have already been mentioned here, although I don't think I'll be the only grower with a touch of the ::) :unsure: ::)'s at the notion of "early" and "maincrop" varieties in this country (it often comes down to hoping for an Indian summer to ripen your last, or in a very bad year, your first, cobs before the plants expire!)
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Swift and Lark are tender sweets, ie both sweet and tender kernels, and are the ones I grow for Scotland. Swift is my first choice as it is early and produces well, even in poor years. Mirai is another very good one.
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Does all the negative comment regarding getting a decent crop of sweetcorn in the uk also apply to polytunnels ?
TIA
Adri
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Well the 'climate' is warmer, but the drawbacks of polytunnels are that it's harder to plant them in blocks (as opposed to rows), and they are wind pollinated - so you'd need to do the pollination by hand.
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I can see the determination NOT being there for hand pollination....bye bye sweetcorn...
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Given that it's usually wind-pollinated, sweet corn is probably one of the easiest crops to help pollinate by hand indoors (as long as you're prepared to go to the trouble of giving the male flowers a shake to release the pollen when the female silks have started to show.)
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I went with Swift..... thanks for all the tips.