I'm already thinking about next year, because I haven't had good luck with this year's planting of sweet corn. I planted Early Sunglow and Early Choice. The Early Choice germinated well, and produced strong-looking plants. The Early Sunglow didn't germinate all that well and is growing in unevenly. I have side dressed with nitrogen as recommended, but the kernels are still very small. I did at least get good pollination, since the cobs are well filled.
The soil is fairly rich. I live in an area of central Texas on the "Blackland Prairie" in an area of alluvial soil just north of a minor creek. A 1934 soil survey says, "Bell clay [the soil type in my area] is probably the most valuable land in the county." When a neighbor dug a pool, the topsoil was about 5 feet deep! The subsoil is very fertile, too--his dirt pile from the bottom of the pool area is covered with very healthy weeds! The dent corn down the road is about 7 feet tall now.
We've had good rainfall, about 11 inches since early April. I watered a couple of times (about an inch each time) during a couple of spells when it was more than a week between rains. The plants don't seem to be very deeply rooted, though. Possibly too much rain/water? We've had a couple of moderate windstorms and the corn was blown over substantially. I was able to straighten it when it was smaller, but the most recent wind may have done it in. If it weren't for the tomatoes growing nearby as a wind-break it might have been laid completely flat.
Can anyone recommend a sweet corn cultivar or two that is reliable, strongly rooted and that fills out well? I like to try something different since neither of these seemed to be that great. I'd like to consider the options for next year now, so I can have plenty of time to change my mind a dozen times.
I may actually even try again, this year. My first frost date is after Thanksgiving, so I'd just have to worry about summer heat when I plant and adequate water in our typically dry August. I appreciate thoughts on what I might have done better on the current crop, and recommendations for new cultivars. Thanks!
David
Sweet Corn Recommendation, Zone 8b, Central Texas?
The early corn cultivars are great for getting that first ear of corn. They are by nature small, and not as tasty as main season corn. In your climate I would plant mostly main season corn ( 80-90 day), Silver Queen is the favorite here, but ther are also very good bi-colors and Yellows. Just browse through plantfiles for some ideas. And yes too much water early, especially shallow watering encourages shallow roots.