Sweet Corn for 2013! Let the countdown begin . . .

[TheWaterbug]

I planted one pack of Bi-Licious on 4/11/13, after soaking overnight, and it came up on 4/19/13:



I planted 3 seeds per hole, 12" apart, in 4 rows 30" apart. I was just short of 4 x 3 x 7 feet, so the last few holes got only 2 seeds apiece.

In another week or so I'll sow 3 packs, in preparation for the 3rd Annual (?) Corn-U-Copia party. I may also plant a later pack, perhaps another 3-4 weeks after that.

Bi-licious is supposed to be a 75-80 day variety, but I'm planting early, so I'm expecting the first crop around late June/early July, and then the larger crop towards the end of July.

I have to make sure to plan my business travel so as not to interfere with the harvest. Last year my corn party was about 10 days too late, and the corn was disappointing

"At its peak for less than a week!"

Who else is growing corn?

[jal_ut]

I will grow corn. Target planting date for the first crop is May 5. I plan to plant 3 rows per week for six weeks. Hopefully this will give me corn for six weeks after it starts coming on. The variety is Ambrosia. It will all be the same variety.

I use this machine to plant corn.

[joed2323]

I second ambrosia, wow is this some of the best bi colored corn I have ever tasted...
I was growing bodacious for about 2 years then last year, I made the switch to ambrosia from alot of what jal_ut had to say about it and all the success he has with growing this variety, I kinda have the same growing climate as you james so it grows great over here in northern michigan

Last year was my first year growing ambrosia and I also grew bodacious last year as well, but this year I'm going all out on ambrosia...

I may try and do the same with growing a few rows then wait a week and plant 3-4 more rows, wouldnt 2 weeks be better over 1 week?

Their is alot of great varieties of corn out their, its kinda hard picking a variety to grow since alot of them are all really good.

[TheWaterbug]

So I got 4 more packs of Bi-Licious in the ground on Saturday (5/4/13), and I was able to get the drip system and row covers in on Sunday.

Then it rained last night, which is highly unusual for our area. But anyway . . .

I've never used row covers for corn before, but this year the peafowl are pecking at my first stand of corn, so I don't want to take any chances. I'll leave it on until the corn starts bumping into it.

I had corn earworms last year, so I've got a thing of BT ready to go, too.

For soil prep I broadforked the area, then spread about an inch of bagged "steer manure mix" and tilled it repeatedly until all the clods were broken up. Some of the clods took 3 passes and some leaning on the tiller. I also sprinkled some nitrogen fertilizer before tilling.

Fingers crossed!

[jal_ut]

I may try and do the same with growing a few rows then wait a week and plant 3-4 more rows, wouldnt 2 weeks be better over 1 week?

Perhaps it would be better to wait until the first was 3 inches tall then plant again. At any rate, the idea is that I would have new corn coming on each week once it starts. There is perhaps a flaw in that thinking, the later plantings may come on quicker because of warmer temperatures. I am not right sure if the number of days to maturity is constant. That could change a bit depending on the temperature?

If I remember to keep my notes caught up, I will have a report come October.

[jal_ut]

Their is alot of great varieties of corn out their, its kinda hard picking a variety to grow since alot of them are all really good.

I have tried quite a few varieties over the years. Bodacious is a good yellow corn. I think I even have some Bodacious seed. Don't know if I will plant it this year though.

For many years I would get three varieties each with a different maturation period and plant them all the same day. That works too, to spread out the harvest.

[JayPoc]

I'm going with something called jackpot...it reads good; we'll see how it tastes...

[TheWaterbug]

For many years I would get three varieties each with a different maturation period and plant them all the same day. That works too, to spread out the harvest.

How good have you gotten at predicting peak ripeness? One reason I plant the same variety separated by 2-3 weeks is so I can use the first crop as a predictor for the second (perhaps minus a few days, as you've indicated).

Our corn party has become a big enough deal that I need to set the date at least a week in advance, and preferably two. And since my new mantra is "At its peak for less than a week!" I need to know before it's actually edible.

I don't have enough experience to predict this by looking a it. Well, at least not yet

[TravisD]

Hey! New guy around these parts here. I planted 3 rows about 10 feet long of some Golden Cross Bantam hybrid I grabbed at the store. I planted them about a week and a half ago and they've shot up to 3-4 inches tall already. Have to thin them out a little this weekend. This is my first attempt at sweet corn, so we'll see what happens but I'm gonna try planting Kentucky Wonder pole beans among them.

[TheWaterbug]

I planted them about a week and a half ago and they've shot up to 3-4 inches tall already . . . . This is my first attempt at sweet corn.

You seem to have the knack of it! Mine are that size, but it's been 3 weeks already.

[jal_ut]

TheWaterbug, If the party is already on the calendar and you want to hit it with corn just right, I hope you have kept records of past years, both planting dates and peak flavor dates. I guess you could use the advertised time, but one never knows about that. It varies a bit with climate I think. Good Luck.

[joed2323]

There is nothing better then home grown fresh corn

I'm glad some of you guys get into growing corn like I do, its my favorite vegetable to grow, there is nothing better then taking a stroll through your corn patch at harvest time and picking that fresh ear off the stalk and eating it fresh, no cooking required...

If I had it my way I would turn my 2 acre backyard into a corn patch, id rather grow corn then cut grass

We should try and keep this tread going throughout the summer so we all can compare notes and share are ups and downs

[jal_ut]

I drug out my notes and find that Ambrosia which is a 75 day corn, (advertised) actually is taking about 95 days here in this climate (when planted first week of May). Like I thought, the climate will have an effect on the time it takes to get ready.

I am telling myself to keep better records this year since I plan to make several plantings. I want to see how long the corn planted June 15 takes in comparison to that planted May 4.

[TheWaterbug]

TheWaterbug, If the party is already on the calendar and you want to hit it with corn just right, I hope you have kept records of past years, both planting dates and peak flavor dates. I guess you could use the advertised time, but one never knows about that. It varies a bit with climate I think. Good Luck.

Heh. I'm not that crazy

I've marked the package date on my calendar, and I'm just trying to keep two weekends on either side of that date cleared of business trips etc.

I only have two years' of history to draw from, so at this point I'm really just guessing.

[TheWaterbug]

So here's one row/pack of Bi-Licious, 10 days after planting:



I'm using row covers, because the peafowl started pecking at my first stand of seeds when they sprouted.

Corn seed germination seems better than 80%. Weed seed germination seems upwards of 95%!

It's been warm the past week or so, and the row cover may have helped a few degrees. The germination and growth rates seems much better than for the pack that I planted in mid-April.

[TheWaterbug]

It's been warm the past week or so, and the row cover may have helped a few degrees. The germination and growth rates seems much better than for the pack that I planted in mid-April.

Here it is 8 days later:



At this rate it's going to catch up to and pass the pack I planted a _month_ earlier. These are 10 feet away from the earlier planting, and on the same drip system. Is it the row cover that's making the difference?

[TheWaterbug]

They were pressing up against the row cover, so I took them off:



You can see a small gap at the end, followed by the small stand I planted 3.5 weeks before the large stand. They certainly don't look 3.5 weeks older.

Of course I grew more than corn. I weeded the leftmost row about a week after planting. I didn't weed the other three until after I took this picture. Look at this glorious crop o' weeds:

[joed2323]

Your corn is looking very nice, good job thus far.

What variety of sweet corn are you growing

[TheWaterbug]

It's Bi-Licious, and here it is at 32 days:



Knee high, a month early!

But seriously, some stalks in the mini patch behind it (planted April 11) are starting to tassel already, despite being only about 6"-12" taller. I'm thinking the early planting is no good, and that I should always wait until it's much warmer.

[nightroad]

started corn in march. corn should be ready this month. started my second crop in may. will be starting my third crop this month. I am doing transplants. my plot is 6x12. I divide it up into two parts. I try to plant a 86 day and a 75 day corn about a week apart. I will grow melons from time to time. just doing corn this year.

[TheWaterbug]

Knee high, a month early!

I can't believe I forgot to put the PlantCam out for this!!!!

I'll have to find another use for it.

[TheWaterbug]

I'm also noticing almost the whole patch has tillers, typically 1-2 per plant, but sometimes 3.

I just read that "Tillers are most likely to develop when soil fertility and moisture supplies are ample during the first few weeks of the growing season" and/or when the planting density is low.

The row covers probably created a little more warmth and kept the humidity up. This theory is backed up by the glorious crop of weeds pictured above.

The article further states that sugars were observed to move from an earless stalk to an eared stalk, but not from an eared stalk to an eared stalk. Therefore tillers can help the main stalk, but won't hurt it.

[TravisD]

Looking really good! I planted my three little rows on April 25th and they're up to about my chest now. Had a bad storm last night that blew a bunch over, but I just stood 'em back up and I think they'll be fine. I haven't had to water anything last two weeks; it has rained every 2-3 days or so. Last night was almost 2 inches.

[hendi_alex]

Corn patch looks a little ragged this year, but won't be long until corn!

[TheWaterbug]

Corn patch looks a little ragged this year, but won't be long until corn!

What variety is that? Looks interesting!

[TheWaterbug]

TheWaterbug, If the party is already on the calendar and you want to hit it with corn just right, I hope you have kept records of past years, both planting dates and peak flavor dates.

All my notes are on helpfulgardener.com

I'm glad some of you guys get into growing corn like I do, its my favorite vegetable to grow, there is nothing better then taking a stroll through your corn patch at harvest time and picking that fresh ear off the stalk and eating it fresh, no cooking required.

Agreed. Although I also love these few weeks when the corn seems to grow while you're watching it. You can stroll from one end of the stand to the other and back, and you swear that it's grown another inch.

Squash vines are the only other things that seem to compare for raw speed.

[hendi_alex]

What variety?

Don't have a clue, as I just dump my seeds all together year after year. Half of the patch is mostly silver queen, but the nearer half in the photo is Double Delicious, Golden Bantam, probably a couple others. With the patch planted so close, variety doesn't much matter because of all of the crossing. About half comes out mixed yellow and white. Whatever makes always tastes quite good!

[TheWaterbug]

Agreed. Although I also love these few weeks when the corn seems to grow while you're watching it. You can stroll from one end of the stand to the other and back, and you swear that it's grown another inch.

And here's my Bi-Licious at 46 days:



That was 4 days ago, and today it's even quite a bit taller.

But this was a little worrying today:



In addition to the scalloping on the edge of the leaves, they also seemed a little droopy, so I increased their watering time. Does that just look like thirst? Or could it be something worse?

[SOB]

I'm going with something called jackpot...it reads good; we'll see how it tastes...

We are also growing Jackpot. This is the third or fourth year our family has grown that variety and we love it! Plus we get a bunch for free from the local Pioneer seed rep...

In addition to the scalloping on the edge of the leaves, they also seemed a little droopy, so I increased their watering time. Does that just look like thirst? Or could it be something worse?

Corn is a heavy feeder and LOOOOVES nitrogen. Have you been doing any fertilizing?

Below are pics of my corn. First planting should be reading in about 4 weeks. Tassles are starting to be exposed. Each additional planting was about 2 weeks later. I'm 6 foot tall BTW...

[TheWaterbug]

I'm in the middle of a 10-day trip abroad, and I woke up in a sweat yesterday because I dreamt all my corn was dead! In my dream the stalks had all fallen over, and the patch was a sandy swamp.

Home confirmed that my dream was just a dream (damn jet lag!), but it was scary!

[jal_ut]

My first crop is knee high today June 28. I am heading out to plant a few more rows since I still have some space. Whether it will get ready or frozen is yet to be seen, but I may as well try.

[SOB]

I tried sneaking in a crop last year and it didn't turn out so hot. If I would have thought about it earlier I would have been fine but I came up about 2 weeks short. I had 6 foot tall stalks, tassels and ears about 2-3 inches long then the frosts started to hit and everything browned up and died. Luckily the seed didnt cost me anything...it was a pretty good learning experience actually.

I think I planted in early August and had an 85 day maturation corn (Jackpot). Mid October the cold weather and frost shut it down. If I would have planted in late July everything would have been perfect. People thought I was crazy because they have never tried a fall harvest for sweet corn! I like to think I was being smart....just not smart enough

[btrowe1]

This is my corn, not sure how it"s supposed to look 1st time grower of corn.

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Compared to the rest of the garden the corn is growing but I thought it would be greener?? There's a few bare spots where some of it didn't grow right. Planted it the last week in May

[RogueRose]

Here's my crop as of two days ago 6/27. I planted it all on May 8th. There's 3 different types here:

Peruvian Corn: 92 days
Triplesweet Bi Color: 82 Days
Luscious Hybrid: 75 days

On the far right is the Luscious Hybrid and if I look down into it, it already has tassels coming up and I do see ears starting to peek out too. So it's been 53 days....I'd say it's more or less on track.





In the far back is the Peruvian. We'll see if I am actually successful with it this year.....

[freedhardwoods]

It's hard to believe my last post was 2 years ago. I guess I got busy and forgot to come back. I still plant a big garden every year though.

Everyone's corn is looking pretty good.

Here's a picture I took when I ran the tiller through my last patch. Weeded and hilled in one pass.

[freedhardwoods]

Sometimes some of the smaller corn will nearly get buried. Corn is tough. I just literally kick it back up with the toe of my boot before I make the next pass on the other side.

[freedhardwoods]

Here is my first and second planting after a downburst hit about a week ago. I didn't take a picture yet after it stood back up. The oldest was tassling when the storm hit. I'll have to wait and see how the ears fill out.

[applestar]

Hey welcome back!
I remember you posted about storm blown over corn field back then too.
-- you sound much more blasé and confident about it now.

[TheWaterbug]

I'm in the middle of a 10-day trip abroad, and I woke up in a sweat yesterday because I dreamt all my corn was dead! In my dream the stalks had all fallen over, and the patch was a sandy swamp.

Home confirmed that my dream was just a dream (damn jet lag!), but it was scary!

I had the dream again! Home emailed me some pictures, so I know the corn is ok, but I'm really anxious to get home now.

[TheWaterbug]

I had the dream again! Home emailed me some pictures, so I know the corn is ok, but I'm really anxious to get home now.

And so . . . 4 days after my first dream, home emails me this picture:



The brass splitter feeding the drip systems had broken off, and water was spraying everywhere. She says it must have broken less than an hour before she found it (it's not very near the house, so she has to make an effort to go down there) because the area by the hose tap was not all that wet.

She's off to Home Depot now to replace the splitter.

This is the second time I've had prescient dreams while on an extended trip abroad. The first time (about 15 years ago) both dreams came true--our house remodel was a disaster, and the IT guy at work got fired.

This time, the garden did have a major problem. This time I also dreamt that my company landed a major project. Fingers crossed!!!!