Farmerdill, where art thou? Corn Plan 2008

Corn Plan - 2008

As per your recommendations:
(1) I am spacing the corn rows 40 inches apart and the seeds a minimum of 12 inches apart.
(2) Due to the short growing season I will try approximately a 65 day and a 75 day variety of sweet corn – varieties undetermined. Suggestions on varieties welcome.
(3) I will attempt to stager several plantings of each variety by approximately two weeks.

I am giving thought to using a 4-ml clear plastic ground cover for the first plantings, and kicking up the initial planting date to around mid-May instead of early June.

Due to frequent Chinook winds after the stalks have matured, I am considering trenching the seeds when I plant them, and mounding up like potatoes.

Also, I noticed something interesting on some of the ears of corn this year which I left for later picking: Small black mites had covered the husks. A few had penetrated the upper tips of the ears, but I couldn’t see any damage to the kernels. Can this eventually become a problem? I rotate the planting location for the corn each year; removing the stalks immediately after harvest, chop them up, and place them away from the garden.

Please shoot some holes in this plan my friend…

morgan

1. sounds good , although if you are hand cultivating 30 -36 inch rows will work.

2. Plant the types you like, just don't mix supersweets ( SH2 ) with anything else. ^5 and 75 day corn is available in yellows, whites, and bicolors. Browse through plantfiles and look for the green star for recommended cultivars in each category.

3. ok. I don't stagger plantings much. I go with a 65, a 75 , an 85, and a 95 planted once over most of the time. But staggering by two weeks is a good way to go. I have pretty much settled on Silver Knight, Silver Princess, Silver King, and Silver Queen for my main crop.

I would use black plastic, rather than clear as weeds come up under the clear. Hilling up will help keep your stalks upright. I also would chop the stalks and compost or plow them down. I put everything that I don't eat or give away back into the soil.

Farmerdill - Appreciate the tip on 'Plant Files'. I wasn't aware of that particular section. Looks like I have some research to do, but eight months to do it in.

One comment you made concerns me...black plastic vs clear for the ground cover.
(1) Would the black plastic affect the growth of the corn seedlings as well as the weeds?
(2) Knowing where to make the slits in black plastic once the corn seedlings reach a point where they need to emerge could be confusing, especially if I use the trench idea I suggested for planting the seed.
(3) Also, I plan to lay a soaker hose by each row trench and water adjustments could also get tricky.

The ground cover idea came from a thread some time back where you had made a response and I have been giving it some thought. The primary reason for using the plastic ground cover is to stager the harvest times thus spreading the processing load, as well as extending the fresh picked eating time.

I definitely like your recomendations on the 65, 75 & 85 day varieties. My choice of a "66" day se hybrid, planted as recommended on the package, in mid-June just made the weather window. We harvested in mid-September just a couple of days before a hard freeze. Even a mid-may planting with a gound cover may be too aggressive for our fickle weather. But, I'm am willing to gamble...the worst that can happen is I may have to replant a row or two...no big deal.

As to weeds, I use a 'LOT' of horse manure and weeds are just part of gardening. I have a neighbor that refuses to use our ready supply of horse manure, from a common neighbor, because of the weeds. His grass trimming/recycled plant part mulch has just as many weeds per square foot as my garden.

I recently purchase an electric 14 amp grinder/chipper for the express purpose of recycling plant parts back to the garden. The only thing I had left to grind was tomato vines and I'm not real thrilled with the results. The hopper keeps plugging and it's not the easiest thing to clean out. I found that cutting down the vines and feeding them through the smaller shoot for tree limbs or corn stalks worked better, but it's a lot of busy work I hadn't counted on. Ya I know, should have bought a gas operated one!

Thanks much for all your help Farmerdill. I really do appreciate.

morgan

Morgan. When I use black plastic on a row crop, I lay it in the balks between the rows, not over the row itself. You may be thinking of using the clear plastic as row covers. It you have the time and material to make polytunnels it will really give you a jump on the weather. If you were just going to lay it down flat without support to hold it up off the plants, I would suggest that you look at the floating row covers instead.

I chop corn stalks in 12 inch pieces while green. In a few days after it turns brown. I run a riding mower over the stalks and shortly the stalks are nearly gone by themselves. In one garden I fall plow them under and in the other garden I fall till them a bit. Both places are fine in the spring.

Farmerdill, I'm with you here on the poly tunnels and I'm trying to figure out a way to beat the Chinooks that can really rip right through at up to 80 mph. Took a pine rocking chair right off my deck last spring. Do you think a combination of both a clear plastic poly tunnel along with black plastic over the adjacent rows will further enhance the soil heating for an early jump start?...I'm thinking both suggestions might just be the ticket here.

Also, I think I may have realized another mistake...coated corn seed. I assumed the coating was a protection for cool weather planting. Instead it appears this is for seed resistance to various diseases. Would you recommend non-coated seed for the initial planting? I'm assuming your answer to be a "yes", but I have already made too may dumb assumptions.

Indy, thanks for chipping in here. I did the stalk cuttings as you mentioned and placed them on my rock wall (180'l x 10'w x 6'd) where I have started some Yuccas. The 'rock wall' is an extension of my back yard that parallels a two lane highway. There is a fifty foot drainage ditch (now 40 ft) where I have placed rock and gravel as I extend my garden. This area is dedicated to yucca plantings and some volunteer dil at present. I am currently using the garden leftovers to build up enough organic matter to use this for non-irrigated plantings.

I do however plan to go with Farmerdills recommendation to apply this material back to my garden next fall. Last fall I tried discing corn stalk pieces and tomato & bean vines (without digging up the vines). BIG MISTAKE. My mower pull-behind rototiller kept binding up and I eventually just gave up and hauled all the material back to the rock wall.

I am a semi-retired environmental consultant and totally into this give back to the earth philosophy. I just started with DG, but I am absolutely amaized at the wealth of knowledge y'all bring to program. I have tried to do dilligence in searching the web for information before planting each of more than a dozen varieties of plants in my new garden, however nothing compares to reading the threads on DG forums. This is wealth of practical knowledge unlike anything I've seen on the internet.

Thanks immensly for your imput...I'm eating this stuff up!

morgan

morgan

Morgan, I use treated seeds whenever available. The fungicide treatment does help with emergence particularly in cool soils, where fungi ( rot) may destroy the seed before it gets going. Other than that it is a matter of preference. Some folks do not wish to use fungicides and that is ok also. The fungicide only protects the sprouting seed from fungi.

I garden on a smaller scale, but I have successfully started corn inside before the ground warms up, to get a couple weeks' jump start.

Not quite sure how much it's worth the trouble, as the first sowing outside takes off faster and almost catches up. It really is hard to fool Mom Nature.

Farmerdill - OK, I have a better understanding of this treated seed thing, and I will probably continue to use treated seed for at least in the initial plantings.

I saved this years seed package and reread the planting instructions. I noticed a comment that this 66 day variety could take up to 85 days to harvest depending on soil temperature. And that is exactly what it did.

So here's the plan:

As I mentioned in another thread I have an underground piping system (1/2-inch pvc) with risers every seven feet for soaker hose attachments.

(1) In mid-May I will lay down a 60 ft (row distance) lenght of black plastic ground cover (4-ft width) perpendicular and centered with a riser.

(2) On top of that I will lay a 4ft wide 60 ft lenght of 4-ml clear plastic.

(3) I then roll the edges toghether and pin them down with 6" pins made from coat hangers, and then place soil over the pinned edges to hold everything in place.

(4) Next, I plant the corn seed in the trenches on either side of the double layer of plastic and lay down the soaker hose for each of the two trenches.

(5) Finally, I slit the clear plastic down the center, length wise, and lay it over the planted trenches; covering the outside edges of the clear plastic with soil to hold it in place.

Repeat the process in two weeks, and one more planting in mid-June (normal corn planting date) without the clear plastic. That should give me six 60-ft rows to harvest over a six week period.

I believe plastic ground covers will solve the problem of successive plants in a short season. I still need to decide which varieties I will use. Possibly just stick with the same treated seed variety I used this year for short cool season planting.

For some reason strange reason I still feel like I'm missing something here!!!


L Tilton...Didn't know you could transplant corn. My first planting of corn two years ago was with a variety a neighbor recommended. I planted two weeks after he did and harvested at the same time, several days before a hard freeze. This year I chose a short season variety which I mentioned above, and still just barely made the window.

Don't have any idea what freezing does to matured sweet corn in the field, but I imagine it can't be good.

Well people, I'm not sure this experiment will achieve what I am trying to accomplish here, but it's definitely worth a try. Thanks again ...I'm anxious for spring to give this a go.

morgan

Morgan,

This is an older thread I know, but I'm just catching up on some reading...

The concern I'd have about your planting plan is the way you've listed it, you are only going to have two rows side-by-side when the corn tassels. That could give you less than optimum pollenization and poorly filled ears. You could use the same plan, but instead of planting the entire rows, plant the full 6 rows wide, but in 20-ft sections. That would give you three blocks of 6 partial rows, each 20 feet long. That should be better for pollenization.

David

Thanks David...The plan origianlly was to stager the plantings for either eight or ten sixty foot rows, planting two rows at a time with two weeks between plantings. However, the time frame is iffy at best with our short season, so I am now considering four (60ft) rows, and another four two weeks later. My problems in the past have been planting seeds and rows too close together, and having the harvest come do at the same time.

I get what your saying David, and thanks again for the feedback.

morgan

Morgan, how long is your growing season? Mine is roughly from about May 25 to mid October between frosts. I have wind too, so my planting sceme is a bit different to help the plants stay upright. Interested? I've also transplanted corn to give the first crop a jump start. Corn gets an unbelievably long root by the time the sprout is an inch or 2 high. How hot are your summer days?

Mary last season pretty much paralleled yours in terms of frost dates, but the season before was shorter by a week to two weeks on either side...pretty iffy as to safest time to plant, but with any variety of corn which I chose. Last year I coul have planted as early as a week before June. So heck yes...tell me more about this transplanting.

Summer daytime heat can reach 100 to 105 degrees, and last year with the fires it lasted close to three weeks as I recall, but usually a week to two weeks. Evenings will typically cool off quickly as sun drops, but again the smoke at night kept temperatures around 70 degrees. Normally from June 15th to Aug 15, night time temperatures can be as low as 45 to 55 degrees. By September we can expext a frost at any time. Mountains on all sides, so the valley is subject to any number of unusual weather changes. That's why the neighbor's think I'm a 'Village Idiot' for even attempting to garden, but frankly it's the challenges that makes gardening interesting.

I plan to do a little extra mounding of the corn this year to prevent the stalks from laying over in the Chinook winds. Last year there were five or six which nearly flattened the corn, so Yes again to any ideas you have on lessening this problem.

Since I'm pretty much tied to using soaker hoses with my soil situation, the corn rows are 60 feet long, and according to Farmerdills recommendations I am increasing the seed planting distance to between 12 and 14 inches. Rows will be around 30 to 36 inches apart, and hopefully as many as ten rows, if I can use your transplanting idea.
I'm order 1/2 lb of one variety of seed, same as last year. I have not gotten the courage to try several varieties yet. I do expect to loose a portion of the earliest and latested planted seed to frost damage. The primary objective this year Mary is just to see if I can get a decent staggering of crop maturity in our short season. Last year the corn ripened at the same time, and we ended up having to freeze most of it (80 qts).
We also had over 30 tomato plants ripening about the same time so things got real busy.

I have made some major changes in various seed selections this year based largely on ideas from DG forums. With the knowledge gained we expect to have a better harvest than last year, and hopefully with improved timing, we can process the rewards with a breather in between. Thanks for your support here Mary.

morgan

I've answered most of this by D-mail, but if any of the rest of you are interested, or even if you aren't, here are some pictures and a brief description.

I use toilet paper tubes for planters. Stand them on end in some plastic container like a dishpan, or even trays from the nursery, although they are unweldy and floppy when you try to pick up a full tray of tp tubes with baby corn plants in them. This one was one of those with lattice on the bottom, so I lined it with a plastic potting soil bag. The laundry basket was perfect for carrying it to the garden.

The tubes were filled with potting soil, one seed was planted in each tube, and about 2 weeks later they were ready for planting, but I was delayed so the ones you see here are a bit older. They transplanted successfully. I plant tube and all, being careful to get all the cardboard under ground.

This message was edited Jan 22, 2008 3:02 PM

I took a picture of this one because the root was extra long. Usually, if they are planted when the sprout is about an inch high, the root will be just coming out the bottom of the tube plus a couple of inches.

My planting arrangement is a bit different. I put manure and compost and bone meal where I want my row, run over it with the rototiller, then make a shallow furrow with the hoe, about the shape and size of a big watermellon. I plant 2 plants on each side and one on each end, skip about the same length of row, and plant another group.

When the plants are up 3 or 4 inches, I hoe the soil up around the plants. This leaves a depression in the center which I fill with manure and compost. Every time the plants get watered with an overhead sprinkler or watering wand by hand, they get fed at the same time.

They help hold each other up when the wind is strong, but I do have some lean over. They can be carefully straightened up part way and the soil firmed with a couple of well placed footprints, especially on the side where you want them to return to, then do it again in a few days. Carefully, and it works best when the soil is damp. Not perfect, but ok since I am not getting in there with a tiller.

In the picture above, down in the lower left corner, you can see the ones I have already planted, and beyond them a few more groups (if you have good eyesight). Instead of long rows, I plant 2-3 short ones, 4 ft from center to center. This helps with pollination and with wind protection.

Here they are, getting a drink when I had switched to flood irrigation with a trickle of water beside the plants in a shallow ditch. I water on both sides of each group about twice a week. My garden is on a west facing slope that also slopes a bit to the south. This photo shows the planting arrangement, I hope you can see it.

I plant my groups at about 2 week intervals, the first group is the transplants, usually about June 1, another group June 15, last group July 1. This gives us corn from about mid September until frost near the end of October. We have a short growing season.

I have had good success with Early Sunglow, and my most recent favorite which seems to be better, is Incredible. Well named I think. They are both described as 63-65 day varieties, but here they take about 80 because we have cool nights.

Looks Great, Mary!

Good ideas, and your garden looks so well maintained!

By planting four groups of 4 rows, staggered, aren't ya'll able to get enough to put in the freezer?

Shoe

I would like to express my thanks to Mary for all her great suggestions. As mentioned, Mary and I have D-mailed some on this subject, and I am planning on using several of Mary's recommendations in next years corn planting. You have got to love the TP roll idea on growing corn transplants. Family and friends have been solicited to save their cardbord rolls, and I am now certifiably nuts according both family and neighbors...don't you just love it. Thinkin about changing my name to 'nutcase'.

m