sammyqc
grub
Urban, small raised beds, Zone 5 (Canada)
Posts: 94
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Post by sammyqc on Feb 10, 2008 19:09:38 GMT -5
Just wondering if anyone has some suggestions. I have a smallish garden, but was thinking of trying some corn this year. I have a small patch that I grew tomatoes in last year, I'd say 4 x 20, that I was thinking maybe corn? Would that be big enough? I know they need to pollinate to get cobs. Also, do they need a lot of care, or more laissez fair? Never tried corn before (well, once, but hubby pulled them up thinking they were weeds!!!!), but would actually like to get some cobs for eating this time! Any suggestions/comments welcome. Oh, last thing, how long does corn seed last? I probably still have some from the last time I thought about trying it, maybe 4 years ago. And should you direct seed?
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Post by houseodessey on Feb 10, 2008 21:14:51 GMT -5
I think you could grow plenty of corn there. I grew some in a 3X10 space last year and had loads of ears. I planted them close so that they'd pollinate and ran a bamboo pole down the row at the tops every few days once they tasseled. I watered when I watered everything else and viola, lots of corn w/ full ears. Go for it.
They do tend to blow over in strong winds, though. I just righted them and added some soil.
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Post by houseodessey on Feb 10, 2008 21:27:05 GMT -5
Oops. I don't know about longevity but I think you should direct seed.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Feb 10, 2008 23:29:30 GMT -5
Two years for viability, but properly stored, in a refrigerator or freezer, who knows? I planted some last year that was 3 years old and I got 6 plants out of a package of 25 seeds. It wasn't enough to invite the neighbours over for a corn roast, but it was enough to save seed
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Post by Alan on Feb 10, 2008 23:51:52 GMT -5
On average two years is the storage capacity of sweet corn, however like blue said if it were refrigerated and or frozen you might be able to get four or five years out of it, though I would definetly do a germination test on the seed before planting it in an area which could be used for more productive seed.
As long as you can fit four to eight (preferably eight) rows of corn into the plot you have plenty of room, you want to go four to eight rows wide to insure adequate pollination of your corn crop. I highly suggest growing some of your own corn, there is nothing better than roasted corn and grilled chicken in the summer!
If you want a suggestion on a variety, I am presuming that you aren't planing on marketing any of this. What kind of sweet corn do you like. Sweet Sweet? Old Fashioned? Yellow? White? Bi-color?
If you like old fashioned yellow or white I would go with Golden Bantam and or Country Gentleman, though Howling Mob isn't bad and if your feeling adventerous and prefer to grill your corn Rainbow Inca is nice and will produce a generous folliage crop which can be used for compost. Of course the old fashioned corns should be cooked up directly after harvesting to halt the conversion of sugar to starch.
If you prefer something that will hold it's flavor longer and still taste like corn then I would go with Iochief or Silver Queen.
If you prefer a bit more sugar Silver King and Kandy Corn are good
Anything in the SH2 supersweet category I can't reccomend because I haven't grown it and somewhat prefer the old fashioned corn flavor.
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Post by johno on Feb 11, 2008 8:13:21 GMT -5
In a 4x20 plot (which happens to be the size of my beds) you can plant two rows as close as a foot between plants, though a foot and a half would give them more breathing room. They'll need a good feed... It is better to grow them in a block for better pollination like Alan said, but my SIL planted a single row and got ears on each plant last year, much to my surprise.
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Post by canadamike on Feb 11, 2008 13:17:48 GMT -5
You might have racoons problems where you live. Hope you have a dog! They are in the city now, and all over you. They are worse in the city than the in the country, where dogs can roam and chase them, while in Gatineau, theyr are plenty of fences to limit the dogs and protect them.
I would get a small corn, like sunglow, which grows at 4-5 feet. There is an OP muli-color sweet corn like that too, ask Alan, I can't remember. I think it is from Alan Kapuler. With less demand on the soil for nitrogen, you can grow it closer, say 6 inches. I did it about 15 years ago, a square block of 4x4' circled with chicken wire with some on top too. Corn at every 6 inches. Lots of manure and alfalfa meal in the soil for nitrogen, foliar feeding with kelp. I had a beautifull harvest.
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sammyqc
grub
Urban, small raised beds, Zone 5 (Canada)
Posts: 94
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Post by sammyqc on Feb 11, 2008 14:31:18 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. I was wondering about the coons, actually. We have lots in our neighborhood, and skunks and bunnies! The spot I was thinking of is right in front of the cedar hedge, facing the street. The neighbors might have a problem with it, if I fenced it off! I'm sure I'll already get funny looks just for growing it there! Mind you, nobody said anything about the tomatoes last year. My dog is getting too old to chase coons!! Well, nothing really lost if I try it. Maybe they'll share with me. I love the old fashioned yellow corn. In the summer, we usually drive up the highway, to a farm that sells it out of their driveaway. I asked them once, when was it picked, was it very long ago? The guy looks at me , and says about 10 minutes ago, I just came in from the field! How's that for fresh sweet corn! But I'd like to try my own this year.
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Post by robin282 on Feb 14, 2008 23:25:16 GMT -5
I grew my corn in a spiral in 2006. I had made a new little patch, and it wasn't large. I figured if things were equidistant from the center, they had a good chance. Actually, it worked quite well, and I'll be doing it again! Robin
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Post by hoosierheightsfarm on Mar 22, 2008 7:51:31 GMT -5
I'm thinking of putting my corn in raised beds, how closely can I plant corn? 1' sq?
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Post by canadamike on Mar 22, 2008 13:47:11 GMT -5
It depends HH. Some smaller corn asks less nitrogen from the soil and can be planted closer. I once got a trick from an article in Organic Gardening magazine, in the days it was not a joke but a really good one... To circumvent a big racoon problem and because the garden was small, the guy in the article ( I did the same) got early sunglow corn (4' to 5' high max) planted them in a 4x4 block a every4 inches in all directions, put chicken wire all around, later covered it too, and got a harvest of 12 dozens of ears.
Here, we now do rows at every 16 inches, to harvest it we have to walk!! But my buddy seeds them every 2 inches or so ( I reacted probably the same way you are reading this: way too close!!), and we don't even weed. Corn is a big tough plant. It outgrows the lamb's quarter that grows to 3 or 4 feet high in it. But our soil is a very rich clay with certain particularities, it is kind of exclusive to the area and certain other places on the continent, I just can't remember the name of that particular one, but it is exceptional for corn. The corn patch has never seen fertilisers or additives of any kind, we simply turn over the field.
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