billh
Pro Member
Posts: 231
Zone:: 6a
Joined: December 2011
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Post by billh on Dec 23, 2011 12:51:37 GMT -5
I read an article about growing corn in a circle. You use a drip hose and lay it out in a spiral design leaving a foot of space between each loop. It's supposed to polinate better. Anyone else read that? I'm trying to find the magazine now.
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Post by coppice on Dec 23, 2011 13:23:21 GMT -5
Be welcome here BillH. The closer you grow to an equal sided block, the better your corn will wind pollinate. So the only shape I wouldn't reccomend for planting is just a couple long skinny rows.
A round spiraling bed sounds like it should work for good pollination. I'm less shure how well it'll permit access for geezers like me who use aides to walk with.
In a slightly off topic answer, corn no matter how heavily you feed it, is a good candidate for crop rotation. And because its a tall crop may tend to get planted on the north side of your garden. Try and leave room for it, this year and next.
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billh
Pro Member
Posts: 231
Zone:: 6a
Joined: December 2011
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Post by billh on Dec 24, 2011 17:36:28 GMT -5
I've always been told that corn needs to be rotated but never knew why. I know it's a heavy feeder but was wondering since I put 4 or 5000 pounds of manure on my garden spots every fall do I still need to rotate?
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Post by coppice on Dec 25, 2011 4:51:48 GMT -5
Moving a heavy feeder around does more than just let soil rebuild, it also baffles pest pathogens and bugs.
Now some folks (I'm told) like corn smut. They might not want to rotate as much as I do.
Right now for me, I'm actualy seeing more disease pressure with tomato and garlic. Poop and moving plants around is how I'm hoping to reduce this.
Here's hoping your milage will vary.
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Pharmer Phil
Pro Member
Posts: 140
Zone:: 4
Favorite Vegetable:: Okra/Tomatoes
Joined: January 2011
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Post by Pharmer Phil on Dec 25, 2011 7:50:38 GMT -5
I've always been told that corn needs to be rotated but never knew why. I know it's a heavy feeder but was wondering since I put 4 or 5000 pounds of manure on my garden spots every fall do I still need to rotate? I had always rotated my corn...but 2 years ago... we live along a farmers field...3 years ago, they planted corn... I knowing the next year they would go Corn on corn...planted Our corn along the edge of our land (corn doubles as a windbreak here) well, they Did NOT go corn on corn the following year... and We needed a windbreak... I planted 5 rows...170 feet long...same as the year before... Had an excellent harvest, no problems..no bugs or disease... That being said... I did cover the area with 4 inches of horse manure prior to planting only one problem...too much corn...not enough Charmin A circle would work, just don't know how well I have always planted in a block ...no less than 5 rows... I use to plant (when I had a lil more energy and a LOT more youth) 10 rows...25 ft. long...on a 1'x1' grid..had the best corn ever...but it takes a lot of hoeing...
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Post by stratcat on Dec 26, 2011 15:26:29 GMT -5
Hi, Billh. Annually, I grow one hill of Triple Play Sweet Corn in a circle . As this corn is short, I plant eight pre-soaked seeds ~8" apart in this pattern I got from Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden. X marks the spot. I get excellent pollination. For full-sized corn stalks, space accordingly. N- ----X--X-----
W--X--X--X--X--E--
-----X--X------ S-
That's all the space the tomatoes will allow for corn.
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littleminnie
Pro Member
Gardening should be fun.
Posts: 264
Joined: February 2011
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Post by littleminnie on Dec 26, 2011 21:58:32 GMT -5
With an earthway seeder, corn in a spiral would be fun to seed. I do mine in a block 4 rows wide and do 3 sowing dates, 4 blocks/beds total. I plan to seed into black plastic this season with a one seed at a time seeder. www.standnplant.com/seeder.htmIt will take longer to seed than with the earthway but I won't have to weed! Also I can soak the seed first. The earthway acts funny with soaked and dried seed. It sort of throws them- even when dried after soaking. And I highly recommend soaking corn seed!
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Post by stratcat on Dec 26, 2011 23:41:34 GMT -5
Minnie-If corn seed dries out after soaking, what kind of germination can be expected? Thanks.
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littleminnie
Pro Member
Gardening should be fun.
Posts: 264
Joined: February 2011
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Post by littleminnie on Dec 27, 2011 22:39:12 GMT -5
Well you know when you soak seeds and want to use a seeder you have to let them dry a little. They are not soaked to sprouting, just soaked to softening, so it doesn't mess with germination. Soaked corn seed germinates significantly better!
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Post by spacecase0 on Dec 29, 2011 12:59:49 GMT -5
never occurred to me to soak and then dry off the seeds for the seeder, I just use the seeds dry in the seeder...
if I did not have rows in a block it seems like it would be harder to weed but I guess if there was squash under the corn it would block out the weeds...
I want to try stratcat's method
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Post by paquebot on Dec 29, 2011 15:30:33 GMT -5
Now some folks (I'm told) like corn smut. They might not want to rotate as much as I do. For the record, corn smut is an airborne fungus and will not be controlled by rotation. One can only plant varieties which are resistant to it. Martin
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