Entries from June 2007 ↓

It would seem that this year is going to be a trying one up at the plot. Nature is going to test me to the limit.

The corn I planted last weekend (see below) before the heavens opened up and drowned us out, has not done very well at all.

I think that deluge of rain has rotted the roots. My soil is not exactly well-drained, but should be OK. However, they needed time to bed in before being attacked by the great British weather.

I will give them a little longer to see if they can recover now that the weather has been hot for a few days, but I’m not hopeful.

UPDATE: I had a look at it today June 9th and I think that some may survive as they are still standing. They are way behind everyone else’s, but should still produce something.

I planted out my corn last weekend over the bank holiday. As you can see it was reasonably well grown and frankly didn’t need to spend more time indoors.

[MEDIA=53]

However, the day after I put it out, the heavens opened and it rained for 48 hours straight. I’m going back this weekend to see how they have done. I’ve not had the time in between. However, the soil is very moist so everything should be OK. Will let you know.

The best way to grow corn is to choose a site that gets full sun and a soil with pH 6-6.8. Corn needs soil that’s both rich, moisture-retentive and well-draining. So dig in some compost and if you’ve got it some manure.

Make sure plants get at least an 4cm of water a week, but never from above – it can wash away pollen.

If you wish you can feed plants with organic fertilizer three times: when they reach 25cm, then 52cm, and when tassels appear.

Remember though that corn is a big consumer of nitrogen and phosphorus. If you find that your leaves are yellowing, it’s a sign of nitrogen deficiency – spray with manure ‘tea’ or fish emulsion (obviously not the latter if you are a vegetarian).

You can then pick the corn husks when the silks are dry and brown but still supple. For most varieties, that will be about 20 days after the silks appear.

Happy corn on the cob………. 🙂

By the way, it can take 90 days to grow, so make sure you have the quick growing varieties like ‘Precocious’.

Here is a picture of some comfrey – green manure – that I planted last year.

I didn’t think it would survive as the slugs really like the plant. Maybe they have been elsewhere for their dinner of late, but they let it slip through the net and now it has grown to this.

I will be using it for composting later on in the year.

This plant has been used since Greek times to treat external wounds. It contains allantoin, a chemical which actually promotes new cell growth. However, all is not good, as some recent studies have shown it can cause liver damage and cancer if you ingest it.

The blooms should be in full swing around the middle of summer.