[Kristen]

I've planted out my sweetcorn because it got two big to stay in its paper pots.

The plants are two big for 2L plastic bottles, but I have got some fleece.

I was planning to only use the fleece if frost is forecast, but should I use it anyway?

And if so do I leave it on during the day too?

Thanks.

[Trillium]

corn is very cold sensitive so yes, keep the fleece on until you're sure all frost is over with. Farmers are only just planting their seeds now and when the seeds sprout, the frost time is over with which is why they don't bother. Yours are earlier so do protect them. Daytime? It's up to you whether to bother taking them off. As long as they get light and rain through the fleece, I wouldn't bother as its extra work I don't have time for.

[Elcie]

Must admit I took the fleece off mine today.  To be honest they looked a little yellow and yes, I know that they were planted too early, and I know that it was too cold for them, but I'm hoping the extra light and access to water will help them.  We will see.

(I have another lot growing so all is not completely lost if they kick the bucket so to speak!)

[Yorkie]

I think the reason they are yellow could be because they're too cold - do keep a very close eye on them and don't hesitate to replace the fleece.

[Kristen]

Well I covered it, but I don;t think I made a very good job

My raised beds are 4' wide, my fleece roll is 1M ... I tried hoops, string down the middle, and clothes pegs to hold the overlap of two pieces.  The wind was mild, but the fleece acted like a sail and I am sure that it was not tight enough to prevent convection at best, and all being blown away at worst

The rest I just put one piece over, and left one row out, help down with stones, so the plants were a bit squashed, but I think they will have been more protected. Clearly that will have to come off during the day.

Perhaps I should have looked harder for a 3M wide roll, which I could just have put over my normal hoops (used for Debris netting), or even a 2M wide roll and made lower hoops.

Too much effort .... so what am I doing wrong, and how dot he rest of you do it?

[Gardeningguru]

Well I covered it, but I don;t think I made a very good job

My raised beds are 4' wide, my fleece roll is 1M ... I tried hoops, string down the middle, and clothes pegs to hold the overlap of two pieces.  The wind was mild, but the fleece acted like a sail and I am sure that it was not tight enough to prevent convection at best, and all being blown away at worst

The rest I just put one piece over, and left one row out, help down with stones, so the plants were a bit squashed, but I think they will have been more protected. Clearly that will have to come off during the day.

Perhaps I should have looked harder for a 3M wide roll, which I could just have put over my normal hoops (used for Debris netting), or even a 2M wide roll and made lower hoops.

Too much effort .... so what am I doing wrong, and how dot he rest of you do it?

Just plant later next year, even now you could do a sowing.    You don't gain much by planting a few weeks earlier, and you do risk losing the lot to a snap late frost.   I know its hard to resist planting early but its worth waiting.

[Kristen]

"Just plant later next year, even now you could do a sowing"

Definitely! I already made a note on my crop plan (timings mentioned in other thread).  I had assumed I'd be able to hold them back long enough .... but realistically its potentially another 3 weeks until Last Frost, and there is no way they were going to be happy in pots until then, or at best they would have been an unmanageable tangle of roots to try to plant.

[Trillium]

"they would have been an unmanageable tangle of roots to try to plant."

You're right, and corn is a plant that doesn't like it's roots disturbed, nor does it do well circling inside a pot. Progressive plantings work out better for most people as you're not stuck with one glut of it, but rather regular prime pickings over a period of time.

[Kristen]

I bought another packet of Swift F1 today (and several other things that tempted me whilst I was there  )