Sweetcorn - MERGED

Cazzdevil

I'm in the process of planning my [hopefully] veggie-filled garden for this year and wondered...

Is sweetcorn easy to grow in this country? Has anyone had any luck with it and if so, what kind of conditions does it need?

Thanks everyone x

smk77

Cazzdevil wrote:

I'm in the process of planning my [hopefully] veggie-filled garden for this year and wondered...

Is sweetcorn easy to grow in this country? Has anyone had any luck with it and if so, what kind of conditions does it need?

Thanks everyone x

I grew 5 sweetcorn plants last year in South East Scotland. My garden is fairly exposed although they were suitably positioned for maximum sunlight.

Out of the 5 there was 1 that was completely fine. Another I picked too early and the sweetcorn hadn't fully developed. To be honest I wasn't sure what I was doing with them or when to pick but the fact that I got one (which was REALLY tasty!!) shows that it's possible even in these parts of the country.

I suggest that you try them but make sure they're in aren't exposed to the wind and that they get plenty of sun and water. They dont take up much space as they just grow upwards.

Linda32

Hello,

We are going to grow some this year on our lottie.

We are in Leicester, the soil is wonderfully cultivated loam, (I wish we had it at home, there its clay)
We have frosts until the last week in May.

During the summer its everywhere on our lottie, so I've no experince of growing it, but I've seen it grown.

A green house isn't used for growing as we are not allowed to have them.

emmaroids

i grew sweetcorn with no problems last year, had a good yeild from them aswell,

just beware that they block off sunlight to other plants so the positiong matters and plant then in blocks as apose to rows cos they self pollinate (but i supose you already knew that).

Noah'strolly

I've heard they grow well with squash, I'm planning on planting them in blocks with squash in between them.

katskorner

I grew them in a fruitcage last year in a block and got a great yield.

angie_loves_veg

Noah'strolly wrote:

I've heard they grow well with squash, I'm planning on planting them in blocks with squash in between them.

I did this last year, and yes, they do co-exist happily - remember to *really* spread out the squash though, one per square meter is plenty - they do sprawl!

...apparently, you can also grow climbing beans up corn as well, although I would have worries over the rate of growth of them both.... I shall keep it simple and do the corn/squash again!

kippers

I'm in Leicester too and i grew them last year on my allotment as well.

Grow them in blocks so they polinate each other and i put a mulch around each one and kept them well watered.

You get approx two decent sized cobs on each plant. Cook them asap after cutting and they are delicious!

angie_loves_veg

I think watering was my downfall last year - i got an OK crop, but it could have been better - thanks for the advice, i shall mulch heavily and not forget to water!

point3

Choose a supersweet variety and, just as the previous poster has said, cook them straight away after picking! The sugar content starts turning to starch quite soon after picking and have the best flavour when cooked fresh

angelavdavis

If you are short of space, try growing mini-pop small sweetcorns. They are so expensive in the shops but really easy to grow.