I have a 15 by 23 foot garden (raised bed). I have a 6 by 15 section that
has strawberries in it but I am ripping them out because I have a new patch
elsewhere. I have two options: plant a cover crop or plant corn. The rest
of my garden will be tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, lettuce and broccoli.

Can I get a decent crop of corn or would a cover drop do better and then
rotate the tomatoes and peppers?

I live in zone 5, central NY and according to my cooperative extension these
corn varieties are best suited for my area:

Early - Seneca Spring (BC, SE), Sprite (BC), Jester (II), Stardust (WH),
Sundance, Early Gold and Silver, Stars-`n'-Stripes (BC), Precocious, Sugar
Buns, Temptation (BC, SE), Sweet Dawn (SE), Geronimo (BC, SE), Trinity (BC,
SE), Fleet (BC, SE)

Midseason - Platinum Lady (WH), Silverado (WH), Seneca Scout, Tuxedo,
Jubilee, Pristine, Polo (BC, SE), Bandit (SH2), Double Dots (BC, SH2),
Precious Gem (BC, SE)

Thanks

Rob

FDR wrote:
I have a 15 by 23 foot garden (raised bed). I have a 6 by 15 section that
has strawberries in it but I am ripping them out because I have a new patch
elsewhere. I have two options: plant a cover crop or plant corn. The rest
of my garden will be tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, lettuce and broccoli.

Can I get a decent crop of corn or would a cover drop do better and then
rotate the tomatoes and peppers?

I live in zone 5, central NY and according to my cooperative extension these
corn varieties are best suited for my area:

Early - Seneca Spring (BC, SE), Sprite (BC), Jester (II), Stardust (WH),
Sundance, Early Gold and Silver, Stars-`n'-Stripes (BC), Precocious, Sugar
Buns, Temptation (BC, SE), Sweet Dawn (SE), Geronimo (BC, SE), Trinity (BC,
SE), Fleet (BC, SE)

Midseason - Platinum Lady (WH), Silverado (WH), Seneca Scout, Tuxedo,
Jubilee, Pristine, Polo (BC, SE), Bandit (SH2), Double Dots (BC, SH2),
Precious Gem (BC, SE)

Thanks

Rob


I plan to plant some corn this year in a small garden, mostly as a rotation
crop. I'm gonna plant Golden Bantam, because the stalks are smaller and
can be planted closer together (better pollenation in a small patch) and
supposedly it sprouts better in cold soil -- the weather here is
unpredictable around planting time.

Best regards,
Bob, in MN (zone 4)

--
Have a Windows® computer that is powered on for hours at a time? Join the
search for a cure for cancer: http://grid.org/projects/cancer/

Sure. Plant in a grid, rows can be close together. Good for you for
checking with your extension office, a wealth of information specific to
your local conditions.

There's nothing quite like picking corn and dropping it directly in the pot.
Plus it looks nice growing in the garden.

Note that corn is a favorite carry-out meal for raccoons; you may need a
fence or a couple of those infrared targeted water sprinklers, if indeed you
think those work. IMHO raccoons are very intelligent and would eventually
figure out where the coverage area gaps and obstructions are and how to
avoid getting wet.

"FDR" wrote in message
...
I have a 15 by 23 foot garden (raised bed). I have a 6 by 15 section that
has strawberries in it but I am ripping them out because I have a new
patch
elsewhere. I have two options: plant a cover crop or plant corn. The
rest
of my garden will be tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, lettuce and broccoli.

Can I get a decent crop of corn or would a cover drop do better and then
rotate the tomatoes and peppers?

I live in zone 5, central NY and according to my cooperative extension
these
corn varieties are best suited for my area:

Early - Seneca Spring (BC, SE), Sprite (BC), Jester (II), Stardust (WH),
Sundance, Early Gold and Silver, Stars-`n'-Stripes (BC), Precocious, Sugar
Buns, Temptation (BC, SE), Sweet Dawn (SE), Geronimo (BC, SE), Trinity
(BC,
SE), Fleet (BC, SE)

Midseason - Platinum Lady (WH), Silverado (WH), Seneca Scout, Tuxedo,
Jubilee, Pristine, Polo (BC, SE), Bandit (SH2), Double Dots (BC, SH2),
Precious Gem (BC, SE)

Thanks

Rob

FDR wrote:

I have a 15 by 23 foot garden (raised bed). I have a 6 by 15 section that
has strawberries in it but I am ripping them out because I have a new patch
elsewhere. I have two options: plant a cover crop or plant corn. The rest
of my garden will be tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, lettuce and broccoli.

Can I get a decent crop of corn or would a cover drop do better and then
rotate the tomatoes and peppers?

I live in zone 5, central NY and according to my cooperative extension these
corn varieties are best suited for my area:

snip varieties

I grew Silver Choice (Burpee) last year in the North Syracuse area, and
it did very well! Even though I know you "can't" start corn indoors and
transplant it, I did for half of it (about 2 weeks of growth), and got
twice as much yield as the direct seeded corn, even in last summer's
super hot (for here) weather. I'm a "transplant" myself, from South
Jersey, so I *have* to grow my own white corn up here. No one sells
anything but yellow or bi-color!
I had enough in four 12' rows to feed myself and my husband through the
late summer as fresh ears, plus enough to put away (freeze) for
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now the last batch for Easter (and a few
bags in between just for the pure enjoyment!)
I'm trying again this summer, and I just hope it works as well as it
did last year! Or better, as we just expanded the garden by another 4
feet today (at 4 feet per year, I'll have the whole back yard planted in
a decade or so!)

-Kristen

Hey Kristen!

I live in Dewitt, just outside of Syracuse by the Drumlins Golf Course and
CBA.

I too am a NJ transplant. Moved here about 4 years ago from Northern NJ. I
lived in Bloomfield, a suburb of Newark.

Cool to find a Jersey girl here.

Rob


"Kristen" wrote in message
...


FDR wrote:

I have a 15 by 23 foot garden (raised bed). I have a 6 by 15 section
that
has strawberries in it but I am ripping them out because I have a new
patch
elsewhere. I have two options: plant a cover crop or plant corn. The
rest
of my garden will be tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, lettuce and
broccoli.

Can I get a decent crop of corn or would a cover drop do better and then
rotate the tomatoes and peppers?

I live in zone 5, central NY and according to my cooperative extension
these
corn varieties are best suited for my area:

snip varieties

I grew Silver Choice (Burpee) last year in the North Syracuse area, and
it did very well! Even though I know you "can't" start corn indoors and
transplant it, I did for half of it (about 2 weeks of growth), and got
twice as much yield as the direct seeded corn, even in last summer's
super hot (for here) weather. I'm a "transplant" myself, from South
Jersey, so I *have* to grow my own white corn up here. No one sells
anything but yellow or bi-color!
I had enough in four 12' rows to feed myself and my husband through the
late summer as fresh ears, plus enough to put away (freeze) for
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now the last batch for Easter (and a few
bags in between just for the pure enjoyment!)
I'm trying again this summer, and I just hope it works as well as it
did last year! Or better, as we just expanded the garden by another 4
feet today (at 4 feet per year, I'll have the whole back yard planted in
a decade or so!)

-Kristen

Oh, one more thing. What did you do to prepare the soil for the corn? I
understand that corn is a heavy feeder and needs rich soil. I'd love to get
some horse manure from one of the local farms in the Syracuse area but I
don't know where or how to ask for it. Then there's the transporting of it
too.


"Kristen" wrote in message
...


FDR wrote:

I have a 15 by 23 foot garden (raised bed). I have a 6 by 15 section
that
has strawberries in it but I am ripping them out because I have a new
patch
elsewhere. I have two options: plant a cover crop or plant corn. The
rest
of my garden will be tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, lettuce and
broccoli.

Can I get a decent crop of corn or would a cover drop do better and then
rotate the tomatoes and peppers?

I live in zone 5, central NY and according to my cooperative extension
these
corn varieties are best suited for my area:

snip varieties

I grew Silver Choice (Burpee) last year in the North Syracuse area, and
it did very well! Even though I know you "can't" start corn indoors and
transplant it, I did for half of it (about 2 weeks of growth), and got
twice as much yield as the direct seeded corn, even in last summer's
super hot (for here) weather. I'm a "transplant" myself, from South
Jersey, so I *have* to grow my own white corn up here. No one sells
anything but yellow or bi-color!
I had enough in four 12' rows to feed myself and my husband through the
late summer as fresh ears, plus enough to put away (freeze) for
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now the last batch for Easter (and a few
bags in between just for the pure enjoyment!)
I'm trying again this summer, and I just hope it works as well as it
did last year! Or better, as we just expanded the garden by another 4
feet today (at 4 feet per year, I'll have the whole back yard planted in
a decade or so!)

-Kristen

FDR wrote:

Oh, one more thing. What did you do to prepare the soil for the corn? I
understand that corn is a heavy feeder and needs rich soil. I'd love to get
some horse manure from one of the local farms in the Syracuse area but I
don't know where or how to ask for it. Then there's the transporting of it
too.


Nice to meet you, Rob (stay away from basements there in Dewitt, ok?
(local news reference) ).
As for soil prep, last year I went to Hafner's Garden Center on Taft
Road and bought a few bags of composted manure, and the corn grew really
well - but the summer was HOT. We have heavy clay soil up here (in
Clay! go figure), so I'm adding more (of something... anything!) this
year. There's a place up on Route 31 that always has a sign out for
free manure - I see Shetland Ponies in their enclosure, so I assume it's
horse manure. I may stop by and take them up on the offer if I can
borrow a pickup truck & offer the truck lender a free car wash.
If you don't mind... is Newark too far north to eat white corn? It
seems to be a regional preference, and I grew up on Silver Queen from
farmer's markets and roadside stands - not many of those around the
Syracuse, NY area! I can always identify South Jersey people by their
corn preference (and pronunciation of water as "wooder").

-Kristen

FDR said:

I have a 15 by 23 foot garden (raised bed). I have a 6 by 15 section that
has strawberries in it but I am ripping them out because I have a new patch
elsewhere. I have two options: plant a cover crop or plant corn. The rest
of my garden will be tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, lettuce and broccoli.

Can I get a decent crop of corn or would a cover drop do better and then
rotate the tomatoes and peppers?

I plant my corn in 4' x 4' blocks (one plant per square foot) and have done
so for years. You have plenty of room!

I live in zone 5, central NY and according to my cooperative extension these
corn varieties are best suited for my area:

Early - Seneca Spring (BC, SE), Sprite (BC), Jester (II), Stardust (WH),
Sundance, Early Gold and Silver, Stars-`n'-Stripes (BC), Precocious, Sugar
Buns, Temptation (BC, SE), Sweet Dawn (SE), Geronimo (BC, SE), Trinity (BC,
SE), Fleet (BC, SE)

Midseason - Platinum Lady (WH), Silverado (WH), Seneca Scout, Tuxedo,
Jubilee, Pristine, Polo (BC, SE), Bandit (SH2), Double Dots (BC, SH2),
Precious Gem (BC, SE)

My own preferences are for SE types and bicolors. (The sh2 types are just
too crunchy, and not 'corny' enough for my tastes, and the 'normal' types
too time-sensitive as far as harvest and storage go.)

I plant very early, early, mid, and late season varieties in sequence. When the
very early begins to emerge, I plant the next early, and so on. This ensures
the harvests are separated enough to let us finish all of the first planting
before the next is ready, with allowance for weather. (I found early on that
just staggering the planting of one variety wouldn't do; the later plantings
especially seemed to end up all ripening at the same time.)

....and you will definitely have to protect the corn planting from squirrels and
racoons...
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

"Kristen" wrote in message
...


FDR wrote:

Oh, one more thing. What did you do to prepare the soil for the corn?
I
understand that corn is a heavy feeder and needs rich soil. I'd love to
get
some horse manure from one of the local farms in the Syracuse area but I
don't know where or how to ask for it. Then there's the transporting of
it
too.


Nice to meet you, Rob (stay away from basements there in Dewitt, ok?
(local news reference) ).

Haha

As for soil prep, last year I went to Hafner's Garden Center on Taft
Road and bought a few bags of composted manure, and the corn grew really
well - but the summer was HOT. We have heavy clay soil up here (in
Clay! go figure), so I'm adding more (of something... anything!)

Luckily the house we bought already had a raised garden area that had some
good soil. I expanded it and for the past few years tilled it by hand and
added a few cubic yards of nutra-brew. It's really to the point now that I
feel it's got the right structure.

this
year. There's a place up on Route 31 that always has a sign out for
free manure - I see Shetland Ponies in their enclosure, so I assume it's
horse manure.

What part of Rt 31?

I may stop by and take them up on the offer if I can
borrow a pickup truck & offer the truck lender a free car wash.

I have a GMC Yukon XL (just like the Suburban) that is big enough to haul
manure, just that it's enclosed so the odor would be pretty bad.


If you don't mind... is Newark too far north to eat white corn?

No, it's not too far. In fact, my mom would buy it whenever she could.

It
seems to be a regional preference, and I grew up on Silver Queen from
farmer's markets and roadside stands - not many of those around the
Syracuse, NY area!

I see lots of corn growing in fields on Rt 81 from here to Binghamton but it
probably is used for feed, I assume.

I've wanted to check out some of the roadside stands one day. When I was
growing up in NJ I remember the fun of going to them, while there was still
farmland in the area.

I can always identify South Jersey people by their
corn preference (and pronunciation of water as "wooder").

LOL. It's so funny how much difference there between the north and south
jersey, The north has 7/11's and the South has Wawa's

I'm curious, what brings you up to Syracuse?


-Kristen

"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...

My own preferences are for SE types and bicolors. (The sh2 types are just
too crunchy, and not 'corny' enough for my tastes, and the 'normal' types
too time-sensitive as far as harvest and storage go.)

I plant very early, early, mid, and late season varieties in sequence.
When the
very early begins to emerge, I plant the next early, and so on. This
ensures
the harvests are separated enough to let us finish all of the first
planting
before the next is ready, with allowance for weather. (I found early on
that
just staggering the planting of one variety wouldn't do; the later
plantings
especially seemed to end up all ripening at the same time.)

...and you will definitely have to protect the corn planting from
squirrels and
racoons...

We don't seem to have racoons here, but we do have deer in the area and
squirrels and large black crows. That makes me hesitant to try it. We have
dogs so that seems to help.


--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Thanks Pat.


Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

On Thu, 17 Apr 2003 15:15:32 GMT, "Tim B" wrote:

[...]

There's nothing quite like picking corn and dropping it directly in the pot.
Plus it looks nice growing in the garden.
[....]

I don't cook it in water. Why lose all those nutrients? Some people
cook over a steamer for that reason.

I just pull back the husk, remove the silk, fold back husk, and nuke
it briefly. Delicious! Can be eaten w/o butter, salt, anything.




--
Polar

FDR wrote:

Luckily the house we bought already had a raised garden area that had some
good soil. I expanded it and for the past few years tilled it by hand and
added a few cubic yards of nutra-brew. It's really to the point now that I
feel it's got the right structure.

I also used Nutra-Brew - I had forgotten about that. Last summer was my
first with this garden, so I'm still learning how this one works and
what it needs. Just in the past two days, we've added 4'x 20' more
growing space.

What part of Rt 31?

Hmm... off the top of my head, it's between 481 (exit for Great
Northern Mall) and Rt 11, on the right as you head East, and I believe
it's maybe a mile after you pass the red light for Morgan Road. I'm not
positive of those directions at the moment, but I'll check tomorrow when
I drive by. If you can't find it and/or don't have the time to wander,
let me know here and I'll give you better directions.

I've wanted to check out some of the roadside stands one day. When I was
growing up in NJ I remember the fun of going to them, while there was still
farmland in the area.

There is a good large farmer's market kind of stand up in Oswego that
makes a good trip for a day off. It's called Ontario Orchards, right at
the junction of Rt 104 and 104A. No white corn, but lots of fresh
produce and lots of plants - veggie and flower.

I'm curious, what brings you up to Syracuse?

I went to college at SUNY ESF and never left the area. You?

-Kristen

"Kristen" wrote in message
...

FDR wrote:

I'm curious, what brings you up to Syracuse?

I went to college at SUNY ESF and never left the area. You?

About 6 years ago I met this woman who lived in Syracuse and was a resident
at University hospital. We dated and then married a few years ago. I moved
up here since she had to finish her residency and we decided to stay since
it was more lucrative for her to work here than moving back to the NYC area.

I miss many things about NJ. But I don't miss the traffic for sure. It's a
joke that they even have a traffic report here

I wish sometimes for a good deli and the taste of really good Italian food.
And I miss the Jersey shore.


-Kristen