Cucumbers and a question about corn

[ams3651]

I watered my corn once or twice a week late in the afternoon. With transplanting the corn be careful, corn does not like to be transplanted. Growing cucumbers with corn will protect the cucumbers from wilt and they will like the shade the corn gives them. (ps, if you grow a couple radishes with the cucumbers they will protect them from cucumber beetles, dont pick them, let them go to flower)

 

[Purple Strawberry]

The problem with watering every day is the roots will not grow deep. You want to water deeply, and then wait, and then water deeply again. Especially with corn, which tends to have shallow roots anyway, and is so tall, you want to encourage those roots to go as deeply as possible to anchor the plant.

BUT on the other hand, when they are just germinating and starting to grow, you have to give them more water, because the roots are only a few inches long, and if they dry out completely for too long at this age it will stunt them or kill them. And corn loves water. SO I would say, stick your finger in the soil as far as it will go, and if it feels DRY water it DEEPLY. Not a sprinkling, you want a lot of water in there. That way, even when the top dries out tomorrow, it will still have plenty of water. That will get those roots growing deep.

After they are bigger, go with the one inch a week. Around here that means we have to water almost every week. I do it once a week unless it is really hot, and them some plants, like lettuce and the root veggies, need it more often.

One inch of water = 2 gallons a square foot.

Now, I am sure that is more information on watering then you ever wanted, but once I get thinking, it goes and goes, on and on!

Nope that was the perfect amount of info and I could have read more.

Thank you :rainbow-sun

 

[digitS']

I'm going to agree with just about everything that Warmfuzzies has to say except for 1 thing:

. . . One inch of water = 2 gallons a square foot. . . .

One cubic foot (a square foot, one foot deep) will hold about 7.5 gallons of water. One inch on your square foot of garden would be 1/12th of 7.5 gallons. So,

1 inch of water on 1 square foot = .625 of a gallon.
2 gallons would cover about 3 square feet to 1 inch.

Steve

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi there!

I'm just about to prepare my new raised bed for the corn & zuccini (the seeds are just showing indoors) so I have the chance to do something to help in the watering of them. I have some very old & battered hose, full of holes. I think it would be a good idea to bury this about 1ft down where there will be a layer of my best aged compost. This should encourage deeper rooting -- what do you think? I have grown corn before but this was in my previous garden (on heavy clay soil & it was trouble-free); this soil is very free-draining. I have been thinking of adding an extra thick layer of pre-wetted scrumpled-up newspaper under the compost layer -- I always do this for climbing beans & it's very successful. It will also help the zuccini. I will also mulch on top. Any more tips would be welcome as I love fresh corn, straight from the plant to the pot --Mmmm!!!

ams3561,
I am really interested in this planting of radishes with cucumbers. Do you have more info on this & is there a list etc of other helpful plants' If so could you let me know as I would love to try them out.

HAPPY GARDENING! :tools

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[SoyBean]

Well I transplanted the corn. I tried to disturb the roots as little as possible and I planted it where there is lots of sun. I also planted some corn around it. It seems all my plants are doing well for the most part. My radishes are beginning to develop their true leaves, my cucumber is about to put out its second set of true leaves. The carrots are doing well and I just planted some more.

This is so exciting. I might have some money to play around with in May. Would it be too late to go to the garden store and get plants? I want to be able to get a harvest from everything I plant this year.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi there soy_bean,

You should be OK, especially if you can cover them with fleece at the end of the summer -- I can usually get another 3-4 weeks out of my plants that way. I grow some things in pots which I then bring into the house -- tomatoes & peppers especially. I also take cuttings from my tomatoes which means more fruit as they do very well, sometimes better than the original plant, although I have to pollinate them with a soft artist's brush .

Hope this helps. Good luck with your garden

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[vfem]

I directly sowed my corn. It hasn't come up yet... but I was told by my Iowian husband not to DARE start them in the house. So I listened without asking why!? :/

I didn't water yesterday after this post, but many new plantings were drooping badly from the heat.... so I watered this morning and gave them a good soak. They are calling for chances of storms tomorrow... but I don't want to chance waiting and getting like 2 drops tomorrow with everyone looking so wilted today.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi vfem,

I've always started my sweetcorn inside, we have to here as the soil isn't warm enough to get a long enough season. As it is I have to buy corn bred for our short season -- they don't grow as tall as yours !!

My indoor sown stuff grows away fine though & is delicious. I've always grown them into toilet-paper centres & I plant them out in blocks for good pollination. I've never had a single plant not produce corn.

I sowed this years block a week ago & it is already breaking through the soil. I'm already looking forward to it -- Mmmm!!

Happy Gardening to you :coolsun :rainbow-sun

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[warmfuzzies]

I directly sowed my corn. It hasn't come up yet... but I was told by my Iowian husband not to DARE start them in the house. So I listened without asking why!? :/

I didn't water yesterday after this post, but many new plantings were drooping badly from the heat.... so I watered this morning and gave them a good soak. They are calling for chances of storms tomorrow... but I don't want to chance waiting and getting like 2 drops tomorrow with everyone looking so wilted today.

Becasue corn is a CROP not a veggie, so you plant it outside in LONG rows, and then you harvest it with a combine..... lol I have a farming hubby too, and he always asks why I over-think this stuff so much.

 

[warmfuzzies]

I'm going to agree with just about everything that Warmfuzzies has to say except for 1 thing:

. . . One inch of water = 2 gallons a square foot. . . .

One cubic foot (a square foot, one foot deep) will hold about 7.5 gallons of water. One inch on your square foot of garden would be 1/12th of 7.5 gallons. So,

1 inch of water on 1 square foot = .625 of a gallon.
2 gallons would cover about 3 square feet to 1 inch.

Steve

AAAHHHHH Tha makes more sense..... I read that and have always thought that sounded like a lot. I read it when I was reading about saving rain water from your roof.