Okay, I know what's going into *my* new EB next spring! Thanks for showing me it can be done, and done well!
First for Corn
Farmer -- I added it to plantfile as per your instruction. Thanks!
Great! Its there, if you don't mind add a couple of your better photos of it growing in the earth box. Lots of folks like to have pictures of the plant itself to compare with their own patch. If it produced well and tasted great, they like that info as well.
Ok - Tplant - I went to Kroger and bought the two for .88 ears of corn - you made me sooooo hungry for it LOL... it was very good, but for sure couldn't be as good as yours fresh. Thanks for sharing.
Book,
I just got to this thread today, and I just came from Kroger. Bought those same .88 ears of corn. Two of 'em! Great minds do think alike!
Yeay Gymgirl - those were awesome ears of corn, weren't they! even though way too high. T-plant, you're going to make GG and I want to convert some of our 'mater EB's to corn, LOL...
Just biting into an ear now. Huge ears. 3 minutes, 25 seconds on high in the microwave, in the husk. Let sit for one minute then peel the husk & silk back. (Large ear - 3 minutes.)
Enjoy, au natural -- no butter, no salt, no nothing except great sweet flavor. Tastes like candy!
Had the last of my first planting this evening and now will be harvesting from the later EB. Glad I set this one up two weeks later otherwise I would have to much corn at a one time. The second EB needs another week or so. Just enough to get me hungry again for home grown.
Will you re-plant the first one with corn again? I'm still hungry - the Kroger ears are long gone. I need to go back for more...
Wonder why the farmers don't plant corn down here in the summer when the fields are empty because of the heat but corn seems to love it? We also get plenty of rain which corn enjoys? Go figure?
Meanwhile any suggestions for my next batch for which I shall plant as soon as I determine variety to plant? How about some suggestions on your part? Will devote two EBs for your "special" corn variety that y'all recommend and will plant two varieties at sixteen per EB so put on your "suggestion" hats!
The 2 tone as you havd pictured is the best according to Iowa gardeners. Yes, many will put on two ears. Third is always a dud.
So it seems. The third was a dud and so were some of the seconds as they had inferior kernels.
Have a question possibly you could help me with. I switched directions this year on corn rows from N/S., to East to West. I put in an underground line for soaker hose connections, so I am committed to planting in this direction. My problem is the further North my rows went the less production I got from each row. First row on the south had one or two nice ears of corn per stalk. Last two rows were nearly a complete bust. Spacing was 36-inches between rows and six inches between seed plantings. I'm guessing that light penetration had something to do with it. Any other ideas or suggestions?
I plan to put in eight 60-foot rows of sweet corn next year, and I'm considering two row spacing, with six feet between each double row. If my suspicions are correct this might help. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I have never noticed any effect of row direction. But while I can grow corn with 36 inch row spacings, I normally use 42 inch because I use a farm tractor for cultivation, I can not do anything at 6 inch spacing. I don't irrigate so I use 15-18 inch spacing. When it is crowded only the outside stalks will produce anything.
Always there for us Farmerdill --- Thanks!
You might consider planting shorter varieties in the front rows and taller behind them.
As LTilton stated , it is a good idea. Not so much for height of the corn, but the fact that that you can 4 spaced harvests with one planting. I don't always plant and extra early (65 day) corn because they just don't have the quality of later corn. But you can plant a 65 day , a 75 day, an 85 day, and a 95 day cultivar at one planting and get a long staggered harvest with out having to use staggered planting. The photo is of a three time interval, Silver Princess, Silver King, and Silver Queen. I have tried Silver Knight as the first early (65 day)
Plant if you want a sweetcorn that is different but still extra delicious, try Ruby Queen. There are other red cultivars, but this one is always on the Burpee seed racks at Walmart at a reasonable price unlike ordering from Burpee. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/49833/
Ordered "Ruby Queen" and "Breeder's Choice" corn seed from Burpee last night. Went to Lowes and Home Depot plus Walmart, all fairly close to me, and none had any seed. I wasn't going to wait around and grow only what they offered so I ordered online. According to the Burpee people the two varieties are compatible and will not cross pollinate. I was very impressed with their variety. Will be cleaning out the two devoted corn EBs and will refresh the mix with dolomite lime and cow manure. Before planting the seed in two rows I will again apply two cups of 15-30-15 fertilizer as the corn really excelled with it. I know the EB people say never to exceed 15 in any of the three numbers but there are exceptions to the rule as I discovered with my research and experiment. Corn is a glutton for fertilizer and that is why I used the higher phosphate content or is it potash? Oh well I'm not a scientist and I like to keep it simple so I go by the numbers. As long as I know what I'm doing! LOL
Guess what I'm up to today? Yep! You guessed it! Home alone today as my son is working (Policeman), DIL and grandson went to Mil's home and I have the whole place to myself. Not the first time and won't be the last. Her mother has a townhouse a block away from the ocean so the family goes there a lot and I get to enjoy and relax here. Strange when one gets older the things that I USED TO DO FOR EXCITEMENT DON'T MATTER ANYMORE!
Anyhow I cheated and picked two ears just for me and fortuneately there were two ready to pick. It was just meant to be.The others still have a week to go.
Aww shucks! Ya know I just can't leave it at that. Here is the finished product all salted and peppered and buttered and READY TO ENJOY. My double Yellow Amazon parrot is going "nuts" as she sees me with the corn which is one of her favorites but then again, everything is one of her favorites.
You are a cruel, cruel man, Tplant! :)
think next year my EB is destined for corn, you make it look so good!
Just one more picture for the road.HAPPY LABOR DAY AND ENJOY YOUR BBQ!!!
Jill ---- YEP! heee-heee
Planted the "Ruby Queen"(red corn) and "Breeders Choice" last week before getting the flu which I have recovered from at this time but it sure knocked me out for three days and weak for two more days. Feeling better today and will be back to work tomorrow. The corn did sprout and need to be thinned out at this time.
Paw,
I cannot believe you grew those two beautiful ears in your EB! That is fantastic! I LOVE sweet corn.
Cooking tip: nuke an ear of corn in the microwave, in the husk, for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes per ear (depending on how big the ear is). Let it sit in the husk for 1 minute more. Peel husk off and put your butter on it. I guarantee, you'll NEVER boil another ear of corn!
Sometimes, the corn is so sweet, I don't add butter or salt at all!
Paw, send me some corn seed. I'll put 'em in my three extra EBs.
Gymgirl --- Sorry! I never save seed once I plant with very rare exceptions. I always use fresh seed and most times give the leftovers to the school for the kids to plant as I live on school property. It is an elementary school so the children are young and impressionable as society has not yet taught them their wrongs. As far as cooking the corn , I will definetly try your microwave proceedure when the new crop comes to bear. I'll let you know!
Meanwhile, the weather here has prohibited much in the way of gardening as we have been having heavy rain for the past week though we really need it. I was able to thin my corn out to eight per side of EB for a total of sixteen per box. Have about five tomato seedlings that can be transplanted to my EBs if I can do so between the raindrops?
That's ok, Paw.
Refresh my memory, please. One or two ears of corn per stalk is the normal yield?
Two or sometimes three but two is the norm!
Ok.