Can Extra Sweet Corn Seed Be Kept?

SPIKER · May 28, 2004

I can attest to the good tasting field corn, as when we were younger we ate a lot of it out of the back field, it was good for 2~4 weeks depending if it got enough rain then... didn't bother to try and freeze any as it wou;dn't taste the same as mentioned. blanching is needed and also needs to be blanched ON the EARS and dropped in ice water then drained and then cut off and frozen asap... varrying will not work. blanch IN preboiling water for about 1 min, then remove and only do a few ears at a time too many and the water cools too much. while water is re-warming you are cooling and cutting and then drop in a 2nd batch into boiling water while packing the chilled and cut corn. it can be done ON the ears but who has that much freezer room?

ok here is one question.

I'm wanting to plant some multi colored indian corn, how far appart should the patches be to keep from cross pollinating? I have 4 varritied, blue, red, multi colored and a marblized varrity. also want to keep it away fomr the sweet corn too, but I already used the opposite ends of garden for 2 rows of indian corn. and 20+ feet ot the sweet corn. anyhwo just wondering I know as far away as the bee flys right! lol anyhow just looking for a bit of advice.

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

kensfarm · May 28, 2004

"how far appart should the patches be to keep from cross pollinating?"

An alternative to spacing the diff. varieties of corn if space is limited.. is to plant them at different timeframes.. so they're not silking at the same time.

timb · May 28, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( how far appart should the patches be to keep from cross pollinating? )</font>
I believe I read either 20 or 25 feet recently to keep bicolors from yellow from white so I'd think that ought to be in the ballpark for most variaties.

Tim

DAP · Jun 1, 2004

Dave, your browser may be plum tuckered out.

PineRidge · Jun 19, 2004

Well so much for the extra sweet corn seed question. It seems we have had so much rain here in Ohio that many farmers are now on their 2nd or 3rd planting because of seed that washed away or rotted in the ground.

I started my second corn planting just today and hope to finish up tomorrow. Guess having too much seed worked to my advantage this season anyway, but I don't know if that's good or bad in this instance. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I'm hoping that we will still see a crop however late it may be. Sweet corn straight from the garden steamed on the grill in the husks and then painted with gobs of melted butter is very hard to beat in my opinion. Of course a requirement around here is that you need to wash it down with a few cold beers! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

timb · Jun 21, 2004

Good luck with the replant. Mine has held up - got lucky down here in SW PA with the timing of the storms - the corn was germinated and up far enough to hold up to the late May/early June rains we saw. It's now 30"-36" tall. The recent cool weather isn't doing any good though. Neighbors corn was actually starting to fall due to "wet feet". Here's hoping for a warm September for you.

Tim

PineRidge · Jun 21, 2004

Thanks for the thought Tim, we will keep our fingers crossed. Mother Nature can be very strange and unforgiving at times.

Glad to hear that your crop is doing fine. I have seen some mixed results here in Ohio. I guess it just depends on how much drainage your property may have had during the really wet times.