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Post by canadamike on Jul 13, 2009 19:43:33 GMT -5
Yep, it happens a lot with ancient corn. I actually have lots of corn like that, even very dwarf sweet corns that throw out more than 5 stalks. If the season permits, these too will produce, often smaller ears, but not necessarily. The whites have bred out a lot of the magic of corn for the sake of uniformity. It is the desire for a uniform well timed crop ( better for the machines) that caused that.
I hope I will be able to make enough seeds of many of the corns I grow, I have 4 different ''WHITE MIDGET'' CORNS, ONE OF THEM IS SAID TO GIVE 2 4.5 TO 6 INCHES EARS ON A 1.5 TO 2 FEET STALK.
I'll see if it is true, but it is at the 5th leaf stage and barely one foot high.
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Post by silverseeds on Jul 13, 2009 20:23:41 GMT -5
WOW you know of a sweet corn that does this? I wonder if the sweet corn seeds I also got from native seeds for next year will do that. Its called yoeme, I believe. WOW Im sorry but I think us humans hurt as many of our food crops as weve improved.
And you have corn that is 2 feet tall producing multiple ears. I think this is amazing.
Im having a issue with grasshoppers though, Im hoping I can keep them from hurting the corn to bad. Some of my potatoes are basically gone. My amaranth is torn up. The only safe thing Ive found is semaspore, some kind of parisite or something that kills them over time. I only found out about that yesterday, and will get some, but I need a long term solution.
Im going to grow all pest free crops if need be. Although I dont think I have most of the bugs others have, due to the dryness and cold winters. I havent seen most garden pests. But I sure do have grasshoppers. Ive been catching dozens to hundreds a day. They are all still small which is scary when you look at the damage they already did.
We started using a machine harvester, on the farm I used to work on. I dont like them actually, and it was for the same reason. We could go harvest a second ear, in most fields. But the machine would cut each stalk so that ended.
Actually now that Im thinking back I guess we did have three stalks sometimes on the "indian" corn as we called it grown for fall decorations, because of the colors.
See this is what happens when we do things because we can, just because we can. Sometimes the slower more drawn out appraoch is better. In the very least preserve both options. I cant wait to try these other native corns I have for next year.
Im going to try to plant the native sweet corn yeome- a 75 day corn to "triple play" a corn from seeds of change for 70-80 days.
they both have properties I want. The next year I plan to grow out the f1's I think people call it and plant it ,to early with to little water, both are known to grow in cooler climates and soil, ONE of the two will grow with less water. So the ones who do well I keep the others I will thin out. Im planning to fill the whole garden with F1's that year but be picky about thinning, so I end up with well over a couple hundred plants. Now that I know the native corns can have multiple stalks I will be selecting for that as well. The following year I plan to grow it in rows, and select for the same things I did the first time. Does this sound like a good approach?
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Post by canadamike on Jul 13, 2009 21:31:32 GMT -5
Why the hell not? Do you know what you would want as a result, like a smaller corn or else?
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Post by silverseeds on Jul 13, 2009 22:36:59 GMT -5
well ultimately I would hope to have the parts of each variety. These are sweet corns. I intend the same thing with flour corns. I plan to breed a blue flour corn adapted to a short high elevation dry area, to a white flour corn, just for general vigor. for the sweet corn, I also want it tasty.
SO 1 drought tolarant
2cool soil tolerant
3 fast due to short season
4 random possibilities from breeding two corns from two different areas, and conditions, mayne more vigourous
5 plus the triple play corn was multiple colors,
6 now that I now multiple ears are possible if that is in the native corn I would like that characteristic as well.
7 Id also like a little more conventional looking corn then the native corn, but that is by far the least important. just in case I ever get around to selling some. you know stright rows all that.
ultimately I plan to find crops that are tasty nutricious, adapted to my conditions, that cover all the bases. Without pest issues. But I would still grow a little of everything. Ive been experimenting with large seed edible grasses, used for a grain. Also chick peas, I didnt plant to many this year, but I think they are a winner, very tasty, and I havent seen one tiny hint of bug damage, even to ones I purposefully neglected, although those ones did produce much less. My peas were all left alone. Sunflowers seem relatively pest free. I have two varieties out there, now and a few lined up for next yyear, Tomatoes dont seem to like the cooler night I just ordered a few short season varieties which do well with coller nights, so I will se how well those do, but no pests have bothered my tomatoes yet either.
Ultimatley I want a permaculture style set up, with a large annual edibles garden as well. Im trying a few types of nut trees, and many berry bushes. I want every nook and crany filled with something edilbe, and a garden in the middle, that I actually have to take care of. I think long storage things are neat, and cant wait to have a walk in root cellar. I know some say you give up some flavor for long keepers but I dont care. Still better then anything in the store, on many levels. I hate chemicals, and Iam senitive to them as is my wife.
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Post by grungy on Jul 14, 2009 11:16:53 GMT -5
Silverseeds, what is your elevation?
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Post by silverseeds on Jul 14, 2009 12:09:49 GMT -5
About 6500-FEET with a future garden at 7800
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Post by grungy on Jul 18, 2009 11:38:49 GMT -5
Couple more questions for you. What are your summer night time temps. like and what are your frost free dates, both for spring and fall.
And if you want storage ability I suggest canning which will give you long term storage without the flavor loss.
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Post by silverseeds on Jul 18, 2009 12:20:28 GMT -5
um well to be honest, I dont know. Im actually in the sme zone my family back in ohio is in TECHNICALLY. but in reality, that wasnt a good time for me to plant, because it still gets real cold at night for atleast two or three weeks, to the point many things still wont germinate. Most of my experience is in ohio, where this wasnt an issue. This is my second year gardening here, and Im not to organised, I kinda just planted when it felt right. lol. sorry to be so vague.
theres a HUGE difference in day and night temps even now, its HOT in the day, like the 90s, at night you need a light jacket to be comfortable though. Im going to be starting a journal for this bnext season, on all this type of info, but I didnt do it yet.
as for canning I do intend to start that next year as well.... not sure I will can to much corn though, we will use most of it for flour I think. and can some sweet corn, probaly mixed with peas, and other things...... EVENTUALLY, I want to grow the majority or all our food, so this is certainly a skill I will need.
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Post by grungy on Jul 18, 2009 15:13:43 GMT -5
The reason I was asking is that you can get a tremendous jump on your crops by starting them early in paper pots and then a couple of weeks after your last frost transplant them to your garden.
Do you have access to bricks or rocks? Make a slightly raised beds and then put a brick or rock pathway between to absorb extra heat during the day and radiate it out at night. Like I have said before there are several tricks that one can use to gain time and varieties.
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Post by reed on Dec 12, 2014 6:08:11 GMT -5
Yep, it happens a lot with ancient corn. I actually have lots of corn like that, even very dwarf sweet corns that throw out more than 5 stalks. If the season permits, these too will produce, often smaller ears, but not necessarily. The whites have bred out a lot of the magic of corn for the sake of uniformity. It is the desire for a uniform well timed crop ( better for the machines) that caused that. I hope I will be able to make enough seeds of many of the corns I grow, I have 4 different ''WHITE MIDGET'' CORNS, ONE OF THEM IS SAID TO GIVE 2 4.5 TO 6 INCHES EARS ON A 1.5 TO 2 FEET STALK. I'll see if it is true, but it is at the 5th leaf stage and barely one foot high. , I came across this old post and just curious about the "White Midget" corns. How did they do? Do you have any seeds to share? |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Dec 12, 2014 9:58:04 GMT -5
canadamike, I came across this old post and just curious about the "White Midget" corns. How did they do? Do you have any seeds to share? I grew canadamike's white midget corn. It grew about knee high or slightly more. The cobs were small. I don't remember if I tasted them, but they looked like normal sweet corn. I didn't replant it because the plants didn't seem like it they'd survive predation by animals like pheasants or skunks. They didn't compete well with weeds. |
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Post by reed on Dec 12, 2014 20:29:35 GMT -5
Joseph Lofthouse, I was curious about such a small corn plant, never seen anything like what he described and there is my illogical attraction to white. I guess it is a drawback over all that most of the real early varieties are also short plants. I think I can get around the issue of the coons with a fence, a dog, traps and a 22. That might work but if I do mange to develop something nice I won't be able to share it without also sharing the burden of doing all that stuff. Sounds like a good idea for sure to start favoring taller stronger stalks after the first couple generations and maybe not include something that small to start with.
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