[Dantheman]

Hey guys,

What the best way to get sweetcorn off to the best start?

Don't worry not planting yet.

Dan

[Snoop]

Someone on a thread a year or two ago mentioned that sweetcorn plants don't like to have their roots disturbed. Since then, I've started off in paper pots (search for Rickie's paper pot thread if unfamiliar with these) or dug out a little hole in the ground, filled with growing medium, sown the seed into that and then watered. I notice on seed packets they suggest sowing two seeds per station and only leaving strongest seedling in place.

I have no idea if this is the 'best' way to start sweetcorn off, mind. It's just what I do. What's your preferred method?

[Dantheman]

Hi Snoop,

This will only be my second time of growing sweetcorn last year they were about 13' tall but cobs it grow were not that good.

Dan

[peedee555]

chit mine off then single seed in a peat pot when ready to go out use a bulb planter to take out a hole fill it with water and plop the lot in pot as well no root disturbance and off they go

[fatcat1955]

I place my seeds on a damp paper towel in a plastic take away container. pop the lot into the airing cupboard and keep an eye on them. Once they sprout (the root comes first) pot them into the cardboard tubes from used toilet rolls filled with MPC. Best germination i have had with sweetcorn.

[Mattgregory27]

It was my first attempt at Sweetcorn last year and I chitted them on damp kitchen paper then placed them in loo rolls with multi-purpose compost. They grew really well, the only mistake I made was not prorecting them from the pigeons when I planted them out. They recovered though so the seedlings must have been strong.

[smellykipper]

when i planted mine out lasy year i protected them with old 2ltr pop bottles with there top and bottom chopped off worked well but i only had 12 plants

[cadalot]

I didn't chit last year first year of growing corn (cos I didn't know I could/should) put 12 seeds in 3" rubber floppy pots and 9 grew like mad, because I had not created the bed for them they grew happily in the kitchen until I used a bulb planter to core the hole, popped in and firmed down.

I was not sure if I should have built up the soul around the roots that appear to radiate out from the bottom or not so I didn't and got a marvellous harvest of corns     

[mumofstig]

This this thread, and the link DD gives in it, were very helpful the first time I grew sweetcorn. 

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50476.msg597641#msg597641

[Hampshire Hog]

I chit mine in an airing cupboard as mentioned above then I put them carefully into root trainers.

Cheers HH

[RookieJim]

Is there any point in chitting sweetcorn seeds? I didn't bother last year and had great results from all plants.

I used Richie's paper pots and put one seed in each with MPC and when they were ready I planted them straight in the ground, still in the paper pots.

The chitting thing just seems like unnecessary faff to me, but i'm still relatively new to this gardening lark, so who knows...

Jim

[fatcat1955]

Sweetcorn can be a bit hit or miss when planted in pots. By chitting you get better germination.

[Snoop]

Hi Snoop,

This will only be my second time of growing sweetcorn last year they were about 13' tall but cobs it grow were not that good.

Dan

Sounds like you did a good job of growing sweetcorn! I guess there could be a number of reasons why the cobs weren't great. Maybe the variety, maybe bees took the pollen, maybe you grew them in a long line and not in a block to aid wind pollination. Maybe you just picked them too soon.

Could you tell us what variety you used, how you grew them and how you decided when to pick them?

[JayG]

At 13 feet high Dantheman's don't sound like any of the usual varieties bred to do well in the UK, which are usually only about half that height - even on the south coast they may have just had too much growing to do to really deliver the goods in the time available.

Never used to pre-chit, but having had a duff packet of seeds about 4 years ago I now do so as a precaution - they then go into paper pots which I find break down better than either toilet roll tubes or (particularly) peat pots in my dry soil.

I haven't managed to transplant them outside before the beginning of June for a few years now - a late frost will kill them but persistent low temperatures will also send them into a major sulk they may never fully recover from.

[Lottiman]

I know many people seem to have trouble with sweetcorn. I guess I am just lucky with mine, I just sow mine in the greenhouse  straight in to multi purpose compost in 3 inch pots I don't bother chitting , then plant them out with a trowel when they are around 8 inches tall .