Garden Plans?

[NatureLove11]

Is anyone planning their garden for this year and is having trouble on how to grow the sweetcorn because i am and need help. I keep hearing that if you plant types of corn together the cross pollination will make them go bad

. If anyoune has some insight on this I'd love to hear it.

 

[Mattemma]

I plant corn for privacy so I never cared for pollination issues. I have read you need to plant a few rows of corn together,and have it atleast 100 feet apart.

http://horticulturetalk.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/corn-isolation-requirements/

Well ok 100 may not be enough. Maybe plant one corn in the front yard and another in the back? Or just stick with your sweet corn. I am going to try growing some type of blue corn this year.I also have some black popping corn,and then my 12-15 footer whatever corn.I have a yard 90 feet across and so far so good on the corns not mixing in previous years.

Ds would help me shake the tassles and pollinate the corn.Maybe doing that yourself(for a small plot of corn) would lessen the wind travel of the pollen.

 

[Frosty]

Plant corn in blocks for better pollination. SE, SH2, regular sweet corn, field corn... all have to be kept separate from each other due to cross pollination. Distance also has to do with prevailing wind direction. If one is downwind from another, the distance would need to be greater. You can also plan your plantings so one variety 'tassles' later than the other so they wouldn't be at the pollination stage at the same time.

 

[Royd]

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First, we need to know your location. There should be plenty of info, on the web....I say, plant it, as soon as the danger of frost is past, and if you can get you hands on plenty of cow or horse manure, get it tilled in, ahead of time.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I have tried 4 years in a row to grow sweet corn in small blocks. Every year something goes horribly wrong- grasshoppers, racoons, flooding.....This year I'm not even going to try it- I can get alot more produce in the space that corn takes up. Good luck!!!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

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You plant corn for privacy? That is my plan. Can you tell me what you did and how you did it? Where do I start?

 

[Frosty]

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Can't help with flooding, but turkeys do a great job at grasshopper control, and to keep raccoons out you surround the whole corn patch with pumpkins. Raccoons hate to go through them. It really does work... last year my pumkins didn't grow and the raccoons cleaned the corn patch out.

 

[woodmort]

First of all, I haven't planted sweet corn for about 20 years--each time I planted it as soon as it was ready the coons cleaned me out--we found it was cheaper and less hassle to buy it locally. That being said, I do know a bit about it's culture. Most of the newer, xtra sweet varieties have to be planted together to assure they will be pollinated correctly. Most of my farming friends that grow for their stands plant blocks of one variety to assure this. Most seed companies will give you good information in this regard so read it carefully. Also, please don't do what a friend of mine did--plant a single row of corn. Since it is wind pollinated you need several rows or blocks to assure this is happening--you need a minimum of at least 4 rows to a block.

 

[PepsNick]

We just grow the usual common produce every year- lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and zucchini, squash, watermelon and flowers separately. This year we've been eyeing this small old unused garden bed for a good new garden spot. Will update this...

 

[NatureLove11]

Royd i live in central illinois my planting time is timed when the farmers start planting their corn, its always worked for me...so far. My problem is not noing if i can plant my bicolor sweet corn(chubby checkers and trinity) along side my white sweet corn(seneca sunburst). Some say you can some say you cant