Great year for giant corn

[sunflower_info]

Looking for other people that grow giant corn to share tips and tricks. I didn't break any world records this year, but I broke almost every single personal best for every type of plant that I grow. Of the corn I measured so far, tallest are as follows: (I still have several around 20 feet tall or so to measure so the list will change)

Tehua - 25 feet 9 inches (personal best for tallest corn)
Tehua - 25 feet 2 inches
Tehua - 24 feet 6 inches
Uchima - 23 feet 2 inches (personal best for this race)
Olotillo-Tuxpeno - 22 feet 3 inches. (personal best for this race)
Uchima - 22 feet 3 inches
Olotillo-Tuxpeno 21 feet 1 inch
Montana 19 feet 5 inches
Uchima 19 feet

[JohnnySolo]

Good grief, I had no idea!

[rainbowgardener]

They are indeed the tallest corn plants I've ever seen... what do you do with them? Do they produce more ears per stalk than regular corn? Or giant ears?

[petalfuzz]

Amazing! Great job, by golly! Do you use tons of compost for the plants to get them that gi-normous!

[TFA303]

Ooh, yes, give details!

This could be a great boon for those of us with limited horizontal garden space.

[pharmerphil]

WOW....great Job...I believe the record is 31 feet?
correct me if I am wrong...

I love the supports you used, very good Idea and something I'd have to adapt here where we live, very open, VERY windy (what once was Minnesota Prairie...now wide open fields)

I won the Steele county fair ribbon for mine, it was the tallest at 11ft. 6 inches...a baby compared to these..
the variety was "Bloody Butcher" an old heirloom dent meal corn.
You can see it here on this forum at the link below:
Fair Results



I'd sure love some seed if you were interested in any type of trade...

I made their jaws drop open at 11.5 ft. feet at the fair department...anything over that would send them into a tizzy

[NatGreeneVeg]

That's fantastic!

A niche I've not seen before. How were you introduced to giant corn? Where did you acquire the seeds? Do you amend the soil? What do your neighbors think?

[applestar]

You GOTTA grow some of those in your garden, NatGreeneVeg! I can just picture the people staring. Time to get your garden design map out.

I'm thinking I need some for my "waving to the neighbors" corn.

[NatGreeneVeg]

You GOTTA grow some of those in your garden, NatGreeneVeg! I can just picture the people staring. Time to get your garden design map out.

Oooh... I think the creation of a separate bed in a different location may be required...

[applestar]

What if you grew them in a circle and tied the tops into a giant tee-pee or a gazebo?

sunflower_info, you've got our imaginations going! Sorry I don't have info to contribute, but I hope you'll stick around.

[NatGreeneVeg]

What if you grew them in a circle and tied the tops into a giant tee-pee or a gazebo?

Would be an architectural feature for sure, but don't have a ladder that tall... and would be more dramatic if tied a the top than only as high as a human can reach.

Lots of potential though!

[sunflower_info]

That is a 21 ft. tall aluminimum flag pole. I don't actually stake those plants with that. It's only to straighten out the plants for the pictures. Generally, I try not to use stakes. If I do, then it's a 8 ft. stake at the base to give to the plant extra strength at the base. I also tie plants together to give them extra strength. I was also tying them to rope from my second story windows.

:shock: WOW....great Job...I believe the record is 31 feet?
correct me if I am wrong...

I love the supports you used, very good Idea and something I'd have to adapt here where we live, very open, VERY windy (what once was Minnesota Prairie...now wide open fields)

I won the Steele county fair ribbon for mine, it was the tallest at 11ft. 6 inches...a baby compared to these..
the variety was "Bloody Butcher" an old heirloom dent meal corn.
You can see it here on this forum at the link below:
Fair Results



I'd sure love some seed if you were interested in any type of trade...

I made their jaws drop open at 11.5 ft. feet at the fair department...anything over that would send them into a tizzy

[sunflower_info]

I started gardening in '98. My mom brought home a cleome in '97 and it grew over 6 feet tall. I was impressed with its growth; so I asked her if I could dig up some of her yard and plant some things. I bought a pack of sunflowers, dill, and cosmos from the hardware store. One of the sunflowers made it to 12 feet tall; so after that I was hooked. I then started growing corn a few years ago. My first corn plants were 15 feet. After corn, I started growth amaranth and then I had my first world record. I have been getting better and better at it each year. The secret to all of this is finding the best variety to grow. Most of my work is actually doing research. I constantly search for information on races of tropical maize or a newspaper article about some guy growing a giant sunflower. You don't have to be a great gardener, but just a good gardener to grow this stuff that big. As long as you have the right seed and just give them some basic care, they can grow over 20 feet.

I actually measured some more of my plants. Here is the list now
I did well with the corn and amaranth this year
Tehua - 25 feet 2 inches
Tehua - 24 feet 6 inches
Uchima - 23 feet 2 inches
Olotillo-Tuxpeno - 22 feet 3 inches.
Uchima - 22 feet 3 inches
Olotillo-Tuxpeno 21 feet 1 inch
Montana 20 feet 11 inches
Uchima 20 feet 2 inches
Olotillo-Tuxpeno 19 feet 11 inches
Montana 19 feet 5 inches
Olotillo-Tuxpeno 19 feet 2 inches
Uchima 19 feet

I also did well with my giant amaranths this year. I still have some more to measure.
Amaranthus australis 24 feet 4 inches
Amaranthus hybridus X Amaranthus australis 22 feet
Amaranthus hybridus X Amaranthus australis 22 feet
Amaranthus australis 21 feet 1 inch
Amaranthus cannabinus X Amaranthus australis 20 feet 10 inches
Amaranthus cannabinus X Amaranthus australis (self-sown) 20 feet 1 inch
Amaranthus hybridus 19 feet 2 inches

In past years I've had some great plants as well. Here are a few pics of some of the plants I've had

Row of giant sunflowers


My 2007 Guinness World Record 23 feet 2 inch tall giant amaranth (Amaranthus australis)


18 feet tall and 16 feet wide tidalmarsh amaranth (Amaranthus cannabinus)


2008 Garden. A mix of sorghum, millet, corn, and amaranth


Sunflowers at my wife's parents house

[gixxerific]

That does it I'm growing corn next year for sure.

[tomf]

Wow every thing you grow is tall.
Jack in the corn stalk.
How tall is that kid going to get?