Corn Thread for 2014

freedhardwoods

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Messages
149
Reaction score
177
Points
147
Location
SW Indiana
well, finally got to pick some of the Glass Gem i was growing. i was hoping to keep them on the stalk a little longer but something keeps getting to them. i'm thinking it is a bird of some sort since the stalks aren't getting broken except for the ones i planted my pole beans too close and now they're weighing them down.

any ideas on how to protect the stalks and ears in the future? i've thought about putting a cage around them/ or maybe some sort of fortress like Marshall does with his beans. btw these are about 6-7" long. i have a few longer ears still on the stalks that haven't been touched yet.
You might try hot pepper spray. It is supposed to make plants taste bad (spicy hot) to bugs and animals. I make my own, but I've seen it for sale also. I had a pretty bad bug problem on my green beans. One week after spraying, almost no bugs. I didn't have any deer problems and very few bugs in my corn this year so I didn't try it on corn.
 

PhilaGardener

Garden Addicted
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
691
Reaction score
741
Points
257
Location
Gardening outside Philadelphia
Birds don't seem to taste the hot pepper. :somad They even treat birdseed with it to cut down on losses to squirrels. But if it isn't a bird that is causing the problem it might help!
 

Chickie'sMomaInNH

Garden Master
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
3,427
Reaction score
1,172
Points
313
Location
Seacoast NH zone 5
i didn't give it much thought till i realized my local feed store sells hot pepper treated corn cobs to feed to the birds. it could be a local chipmunk or mouse enjoying them.
 

Chickie'sMomaInNH

Garden Master
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
3,427
Reaction score
1,172
Points
313
Location
Seacoast NH zone 5
got some better pics of the latest ears i pulled this morning. enjoy some of the pretty eye (maybe that's ear) candy!
IM000543.JPG

IM000544.JPG
 

baymule

Garden Master
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Messages
18,760
Reaction score
36,658
Points
457
Location
Trinity County Texas
Those are beautiful! Are they dry now or still fresh? I have to pick corn when it is semi dry or it will sprout/mold/rot/mildew in the shucks.
 

Chickie'sMomaInNH

Garden Master
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
3,427
Reaction score
1,172
Points
313
Location
Seacoast NH zone 5
some were dry. a couple need some time to dry out fully. i have lots of small ears going that i don't think will have big enough kernels i would want to keep for seeds. and then there is 1 stalk still going that has 4 full sized ears that i was hoping would fatten up but don't think they will before something gets to them. it seems to be a very productive and resilient corn. sort of like a Timex watch-takes a licking and keeps on ticking. the stalks that fell over are still growing and trying to push out new ears.

oh, that ear with the greener shades is dry enough i already picked the kernels off for keeping/trading/selling for seed.
 

Jared77

Garden Addicted
Joined
Aug 1, 2010
Messages
2,616
Reaction score
974
Points
277
Location
Howell Zone 5
I agree from my experience this year it's a very resilient variety. Great pics!

I'll be harvesting the rest of mine this weekend.
 

Hal

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Nov 21, 2013
Messages
442
Reaction score
149
Points
153
Well the Painted Mountain is 1' high and doing okay despite us having cool 70 ish days then the next day going to 92 or so.
I'm really nervous though, I have never had trouble growing corn but I have a lot riding on this.
 
Last edited:

TheSeedObsesser

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Sep 17, 2013
Messages
1,521
Reaction score
683
Points
193
Location
Central Ohio, zone 5b
Beautiful corn Chickie'sMoma and Jared!

I'm sure that you'll get it Hal! Painted Mountain has a lot of genetic diversity, so if your Australian climate proves to harsh for some of them, others should survive. How much corn did you plant?
 
Last edited:
Top