Sweet Corn 2012

[Dude11]

I've always had poor luck with corn--seems like when it gets up bout 4ft.we have a wind storm and it gets bent,lol---my only question at this point is why so much corn??You must sell it-and that's a bunch of picking by hand.If you are hand picking.

[RDR]

As I read the hand picking part to my wife she said yeah. Three years ago I planted 1 lb. of G-90. I liked how well it did. That Dec. after Christmas I found many places sold out already so I had my Co Op order 25 lbs. I split it with a friend that has a vegetable farm 50 miles from me. I planted around 3.5 lbs 2 years ago and did well selling it. Last year I planted around 5.5 lbs. I had the only irrigated sweet corn. It had ears 8 to 10" long with some over 11". The other corn in the area was 4 to 7" long and no flavor. I also found around 95% of the people wanted it husked and cleaned. I fed the husks to the goats since the grass in the pasture was dry. We didn't eat 1 ear that I cleaned. All we got were the culls. If I was out people bought the culls.

The drought was terrible around here for farmers, but good for my vegetable sales. I have around 3.5 lbs. of seed left. If we have another dry year I might have to get more seed. If not, I might not plant all of it. Also back and neck problems might cancel everything.

[RDR]

First corn planted today. It was a little sticky, but the planter worked well. I'll see how the seed spacing is when it comes up.

[Volfandt]

If the rain will let up I'll be tilling my small plot this weekend. Thought about it last night as the sun is staying up longer but ended up just thinking about it
Course it's still way too early for the 1st planting around my way just yet.
I do want to set out some sweet oinions pretty soon tho....

G-90, I've not seen that around my way. The big sweet sellers at my local CoOp is Merit, Silver Queen, Golden Queen and Ambrosia. I've been planting Golden Queen the last 3 seasons. I bought a 1 lb bag and it's lasted me this long. Been keeping it in the freezer for storage. Probably use it up this season.

How many row planter do you have? Got pics you want to share of your eqt?
Action shots?
My garden is smaller than small time but enjoy reading/learning about you "big" timers

Dave

[RDR]

My brother in law always raved about Silver Queen. Two years ago we planted some. He had to admit the G-90 is as good if not better. G-90 is similiar to Butter and Sugar corn.

I have pictures in the Heavy Equipment section under JD 71 Flex planter. It started out as a 4 row. I cut up a cultivator tool bar and made a 2 row planter. I still have the 4 row tool bar if I need to put it back together.

I haven't figured out how to drive the tractor and take pictures at the same time.

[RDR]

This morning some of the corn is coming up. If they keep calling for rain Thurs. I might plant another 4 rows Wed.

[RDR]

Yesterday I checked the next 4 rows to plant. There was too much moisture. I hit them with the tiller to air it out. I also like to knock the rows down some before I plant. I like to hip them back up as the corn gets some size to it. This helps it from getting blown over.

Today I planted. I changed the drive sprocket from 11 to 14 teeth to speed it up a little. From what I have seen of the first corn it looks to have too much space between plants. If it turns out to be too much, I would rather have it too close than too far apart. I can always add extra fertilizer.

[RDR]

Not a good morning for pictures. Didn't get any better all day. At least most of the first planting is up. Now if it doesn't drown this weekend. Last year it was mostly pumping water on it.

[JDGuy630]

Looks to me that you are enjoying it down there. Last year we didn't plant till June and then the corn didn't come up right to start with.

[RDR]

My second corn is slow to come up. At the north end of the rows some is up. At the south end it has been too wet. I'm hoping for things to dry out to plant Sunday. More rain coming. Still a lot of mud around here. Last year by now I was tired of pumping water. Now I'm tired of mowing.

[RDR]

I fertilized 4 more rows, tilled it in and planted. I wish I had seen a JD 71 flex planter about 3 years ago. Maybe I would have found one sooner. It is sooo nice being on the tractor instead of pushing my earthway planter.

[RDR]

Some of the 3rd planting is coming up. Some of the 2nd is still coming up. This is my poorest year for getting corn up. Last year I had to water to get it up. This year we are having too much rain.

[RDR]

I cultivated 8 rows yesterday. The last 4 weren't up enough to see to cultivate. I could use a "little" rain to help the last come up. We will get nothing or a flood. Doesn't seem to be any in between here.

[RDR]

This was a few hours after we got 2.1" in less than an hour. After taking the pictures I went out with a hoe and opened some of the rows and cleaned the ditch for better drainage. The first pic is first corn, then second corn and third corn.

[RDR]

After a tying anything hanging vines hanging down in the vineyard,(most of the morning) after lunch I put the cultivator on the tractor and went through the corn patch. This was mainly to loosen the dirt before using the hipper. I let it air out all afternoon. I went through with the hipper and cuffed up dirt around the older corn. The next 8 rows I just rolled some dirt up to help cover some grass and weeds. I'll have to go one more time to get the dirt up more as the corn gets bigger.

I'm hoping stirring things up and airing it out helps. A lot of the younger corn is looking sick with some dying back. It reminds me of sheath blight on rice. Time will tell on what makes it and what doesn't.

It was almost dark, so no pics. Maybe tomorrow.