|
Post by Blueflint on Nov 22, 2008 22:40:43 GMT -5
While reading through old postings on sweet corn, seems the biggest topic is with cool weather and short season. I didn't know if anyone has grown the Bear Island Corn or not but it is the shortest season I have grown. Not a sweet corn but a somewhat hard flour corn (flour with a thick flint coating but not a pure flint), multi colored, short plants usually in the 36" to 42" range. Ears are mostly 5" long, 8 to 12 row. I would estimate it to 70 days for dry picking...about 35 days from planting to pollen shed. I can grow a quick early crop planted at the same time as another longer season crop without crossing problems as most of my native corns are 65 days from seed to pollen shed. My stock came directly from the Bear Island Reserve a few years ago but is the same as the USDA ARS-GRIN PI213801. Just a FYI
Blueflint
|
|
|
Post by canadamike on Nov 23, 2008 23:54:48 GMT -5
Blueflint, could I buy some from you? I'll have to start chickens and pigs on regulat stuff next year, as we are cleaning the old ''pig building'' ( some translation would be appreciated here) to use it for pigs and some chicken nest year. At least with some corn so early I would be able to finish them organicly.
Do you want me to send you some seeds of WHITE MIDGET sweet corn? I won't have much, Grin does not send tons of it, but we could share it. It is a truely delicious corn that can beat the crap out of lots of modern hybrids, and the kernels are really very shrunken once dried. The cobs are about 6-7 inches long.
I also have another accession called white midget, but judging by the dried kernels it is not the same corn, and also a white midget improved. 50 seeds or so of eaxch isn't that much but we could later trade seeds to increase the pool.
|
|
|
Post by Blueflint on Nov 28, 2008 12:20:31 GMT -5
I'll dig the seed out of the freezer and get you a good sample of it. There is a fair amount of red coloring to this seed plus some yellow and purple along with striped seed...lots of genetic base to work with. Some plants tiller heavily. overall a fun corn.
Blueflint
|
|
|
Post by canadamike on Nov 28, 2008 14:06:26 GMT -5
Do you think I should segregate for tillers?
Thanks a lot. Anything in return?
|
|
|
Post by grungy on Nov 28, 2008 18:05:02 GMT -5
Blueflint, would it be possible to make a trade or something. I can offer you a sample of any of the following. Ames 1850 (commonly known as Aunt Mary's Sweet Corn) or Double Standard or small of Hopi Pink. Cheers, Val aka grungy
|
|
|
Post by canadamike on Nov 28, 2008 18:21:08 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by grungy on Nov 28, 2008 20:36:55 GMT -5
Michel! You are going to be sorry when that next package arrives. Slaves indeedy.
|
|
|
Post by canadamike on Nov 28, 2008 20:43:25 GMT -5
;D
|
|
|
Post by Blueflint on Nov 28, 2008 22:41:48 GMT -5
I can easily supply you both with seed. I have never selected out for anything myself, I just raised it "as is" to keep it's original genetic base...remember I grow most of my corns for preservation. I do think this corn has some interesting traits for genetic research and plant breeding. I do find it tillers a lot and some tillers tassel later on after the main stalk is done. Also you will see a lot of primitive genetics pop up too such as kernels developing in the tassel or cobs/ears with tassels on their tops. Well maybe not a LOT but I see this more in this corn than any other Native American corn I have grown. For me, I love planting this early before the local field corn is planted and I can get a pure batch of seed due to it's short season. I have never grown it in the summer when the soil is warmed, etc. but would like to know how short of a season it could be with proper warmth. The lady I got my start from said it is a 55 day to maturity corn but I rate it more like a 70 or so...remember this is for dry corn... not sweet corn. I know it will start shedding pollen in 35 days from planting!!!
Blueflint
|
|
|
Post by canadamike on Nov 28, 2008 23:39:35 GMT -5
So you consider it to have good cold soil emergence if I read you well...
|
|
|
Post by grungy on Nov 29, 2008 1:44:02 GMT -5
Blueflint, as another "seed banker" for genetic diversity, I would love to discuss and possibly obtain samples of other corns and beans that you might have. (And yes Michel, once I grow things out, you would be more than welcome to some of the excess seeds as I only need enough for the seedbank plus 100 - 150 beans for ourselves.)
So Blueflint, were you interested in any of the corn varieties that I offered? Cheers, Val (grungy)
|
|
|
Post by Blueflint on Nov 29, 2008 20:17:59 GMT -5
Yes Michel, this is s tough little bugger in my opinion. One year we had a very warm early spring...by late march the soil was 60 degrees. I knew it was too early but planted some the the Bear Island anyway. About 3 days later we went into a cold blast that lasted two weeks with nights in the mid to upper 20's and days in the 40's. After this last cold snap finally passed, some of these did survive and emerge (they were planted long enough to already have germinated and the root tip was already growing well). Not all survived but enough to suprise me. Many springs I actually start these in the greenhouse and transplant them at about 14 days old, they go into a little root shock for a few days but then take off and grow well finishing long before anything else can come close to pollinating.
Yes Val, I would like a sample of Ames 1850. I have no idea when I might get a chance to grow it out but would like the sample to put in the freezer for future use. It sounds like a good one to work with for an early market corn for us in the future.
I have a lot of corn samples, mostly rare Native varieties. I would be interested in getting others to grow some of them out as long as they are done in isolation so the seed is pure. I ask I get some fresh seed back in return (a dozen good ears). The grower can do what they want with the surplus seed. In fact, Alan, if you read this, do you still want another sample of Shawnee Flour? I have about a pound or so in the freezer from a 2007 growout I was able to sneak in.
Blueflint
|
|
|
Post by grungy on Nov 29, 2008 22:48:54 GMT -5
Blueflint, Would love samples of whatever corn you would care to share. I would only need 50 or so seeds so that I can plant small isolated plantings of each variety. Would be happy to return corn from a dozen or so ears. As for the Ames 1850, how big of a sample would you care for? Probably can go up to 1/4 - 1/2 pound this year as I still have to do another year for GRIN.
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Dec 2, 2008 18:48:24 GMT -5
Hey Blueflint, glad to see you back posting again. I would love to have another sample of the Shawnee flour corn to grow in 2009. Let me know if you need postage or anything.
Grungy, you wouldn't happen to have a small sample of the Hopi Pink would you. My small sample that I have kept pure had a hard year this past growing season and I would like to work on making it more robust than it currently is and I don't have the genetics to do so at the moment.
Also Blueflint, if you have some beans, particularly pole varieties that you would like seed increased of and preserved, I would be honored to grow any of those out as well.
|
|
|
Post by grungy on Dec 2, 2008 20:05:49 GMT -5
Alan, will add a sample packet of Hopi Pink corn, and a couple of pole beans to your "order" of Guido tomato seed. Cheers, Val / grungy
|
|