[lottiegirl]

Hi, Can anyone help? At the moment my sweetcorn are sitting in a coldframe. They were sown in toilet rolls and have germinated well. They are really small (compared to last year) and my question is: should I just leave them in their toilet rolls or should I pot them on into bigger pots and wait until they either get bigger or the weather gets warmer  If advice is to pot onto bigger pots can I put 2 or 3 into 1 pot or is it better to have them once again in single pots?  According to todays news weather temperatures should be getting much better by fri and lasting until about next Weds - here's hoping

[joyandted]

I would leave them as they are until roots show out of the bottom then plant them outside, hopefully the weather will be warmer by then.  We live in Lincolnshire on the East Coast and I planted mine out 2 weeks ago as the roots were out of the bottom the the toilet rolls and rooting into the peat which held them in place in a bowl, and they are doing fine.

[andyf75]

I'd probably get them out  rather than into bigger pots. Maybe with a few days hardening off first.

[seaside]

I wouldn't put 2 or 3 into one pot at this stage. Some of my sweet corn were put into toilet rolls this year for the first time as an experiment, and I have to say I was rather disappointed with the outcome for several reasons, and we haven't even got to the real growing business end of the process yet 
Those sown in modules, and coincidentally sown a little later, have fared much better, a breeze in fact, just as in the past, and I wonder if the toilet roll/root thing has been overplayed where sweet corn is concerned.
Given it's June on Saturday, I would just harden off, avoid further stress, and plant out when I was happy with the local weather, mine went out a few days ago, and they're happier for it, despite the wind.

[DD.]

I sowed them in loo rolls once.

Enough said!

[lottiegirl]

Thanks for all your advice - out they go at weekend

[Lincs Lottie]

I hope Lottiegirl won't mind me asking a sweet corn related question on her thread. 

I have just bought some sweet corn seeds F1 Swift.  I know I am pretty late sowing these seeds but I've never grown them before.
How should I start them off please?
In a heated propogator?  In pots on the windowsill? In pots in my plastic growhouse? Sown direct outside on the plot?
Also do I only get a single ear of corn per plant?
Any advice gratefully received.
Thank you.
LL xx

[DD.]

I wouldn't bother with aheated propagator at this time of year and direct on the plot would be the slow method when you need to catch up, so I'd go for the middle two.

On sweetcorn the produce is called a "cob" - ears are relevant to wheat etc. Expect no more than one. Be pleased if you get two, ecstatic if you get three!

[Lincs Lottie]

Thanks DD.
I originally typed cobs but then googled it to check and saw people saying ears!   
Will plant them in pots tomorrow.
Fingers crossed.
LL xx

[DD.]

May I be pedantic again?

You sow seed, but plant errr, plants, (or other live material such as spuds). It can make a difference when asking for advice as it did in another thread very recently.

[Lincs Lottie]

No probs.
I did write sow in my original post but accept the error in my subsequent post! 

[seaside]

For other reasons, I have sown a second crop of Incredibles today to inhabit a different part of the allotment.

We all have our preferred methods and I used the heated propagator. At his time of year, every day counts for sweet corn, and the time difference in the corn in a propagator or on a windowsill now could be s much as 4 days. I expect today's sown corn to shoot after 4 days maximum in a propagator. Then out to the greenhouse, or even out under fleece at the allotment in their modules, certainly during the day.
What probably is more important is how quickly they can then be transplanted out into their final place. This will depend on enough grown root and whether it has bonded the compost in the modules. I anticipate this to be 10 to 12 days from now for average sized modules.  At that time the corn will probably be a lot smaller than one would normally plant out with, and so will be planting it under fleece and tin cans for a few days

[gremlin]

Lincs Lottie   
Might be worth first chitting the seed on damp kitchen roll in the airing cupboard or somewhere warm. (25deg C) It'll germinate in 2 or 3 days and you could sow the chitted seed out.  Could gain you a week or two, because it's not the air temperature, it's the soil temperature you need to think about.

I only chitted my last batch of corn 9 days ago.   They're in paper cups and only just showing above the soil.  I wont be planting out till mid June.....and I'm in the softy South.

[Yorkie]

I am on my third attempt at germinating sweetcorn this year.

The first two attempts were using the chitting (or not  ) method.  Complete failure.

I sowed my third lot a couple of days ago, using a heated propagator for the reasons mentioned by seaside.

If these don't come up soon then I'm giving up on sweetcorn from seed for this year but may see whether the garden centres have plants.

[cadalot]

First time I've ever tried to grow sweet-corn I was shocked at how fast they show and grow