[RJR_38]

Slightly unrelated but the ones I sowed (far too early I now know) were happily growing in the greenhouse and have now been eaten? Inside the greenhouse too! :mad:so, what can it be that's eating them and how do I stop the next lot from being eaten? (BTW - the next lot are chitting, on wet kitchen roll, in a tub, with the lid on....!).

Probably mice

[surbie100]

I chucked in an extra 7 thinking some wouldn't germinate. So far 19 of 22 have, and from the ones put in to chit on 18th April, 7 are also now showing shoots up in the loo rolls.

Thanks so much for all the advice on this thread! 

[Eblana]

Sweetcorn that I chitted last week all doing really nicely in modules in the greenhouse.

Put some mini sweetcorn in to chit on Tuesday night and they will have to be potted up tonight (boy the chit fast).

Next thing I have to do now is to revisit my planting plan for the plot (I had only allowed a small space for Corn but now have dozens of plants (can I interplant them amongst strawberries?).

[Sweetpea C]

Hello,

Me again. Now I have 20 chitted and potted up sweetcorn seeds, however, due to the last lot being eaten, I am reluctant to put them back into the greenhouse. Would it be okay to keep them inside until they are ready to go out?

I really want these to work after all of this kind advice and patient replies!

Thanks,

Caroline

[crh75]

Personally I keep them inside until they ready to be hardened off for planting out.

[RookieJim]

I didn't bother chitting and sowed 20 into loo rolls this afternoon. Hope they'll be ok

The packed didn't mention chitting 

Jim

[JayG]

I didn't for years and had no problems at all until I got very poor germination from one packet of sweetcorn seeds which left me emotionally traumatised and turned me overnight into a chitter!       

At the end of the day it's only a means of testing whether seeds are viable, (or sometimes speeding up the germination of slow seeds if you're pushed for time) - it's rarely actually necessary, and seed suppliers are not in the business of causing alarm by suggesting on their packets that it might be.

Kept in a reasonably steady warmth you should see those little pointy things coming through in about a week.

[gremlin]

Slightly unrelated but the ones I sowed (far too early I now know) were happily growing in the greenhouse and have now been eaten? Inside the greenhouse too! :mad:so, what can it be that's eating them and how do I stop the next lot from being eaten? (BTW - the next lot are chitting, on wet kitchen roll, in a tub, with the lid on....!).

Probably mice

Slugs go for mine - in the greenhouse and all.   

[Sweetpea C]

I only want to grow something to eat - there seems to be so many things to go get in the way or go wrong!

[surbie100]

I know! You lavish care and attention on the things, watch them grow, dream of the dinners they will make and the minute you stick them outside Nature attacks them!

[Headgardener22]

My grandfather told me:

One for the slug;
One for the crow;
One to rot;
And one to grow.

Its always stood me in good stead not to expect everything to germinate or produce crops.

[DD.]

My grandfather said similar.

But he had never encountered sweetcorn. That was his maxim for pea seed which is relatively cheap. I would not apply it to sweetcorn.

[Headgardener22]

I apply it to more or less everything, that way I'm not disappointed.

Anyway - sweetcorn isn't expensive.

(My grandad didn't like sweetcorn, said it was only fit to feed pigs back in the days before there were super sweet varieties).

[mumofstig]

If it means buying 4 pkts of sweetcorn seed to get one packet's worth of food - that's expensive IMO

[DD.]

(My grandad didn't like sweetcorn, said it was only fit to feed pigs back in the days before there were super sweet varieties).

That's because it was pig feed. It was not sweetcorn as we know it now, it was maize.

I don't find sweetcorn seed that cheap either and would not dream of sowing 400 to get 100 plants. I don't like throwing money away!