Martin wrote:
On 11 Oct 2006 15:27:13 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:
[...]
But there is a worse problem. Even those (and the feedstock varieties)
don't ripen properly here, so the chances of getting viable seed are
poor. In some years, maybe - in others, no chance.

Is that still true Nick? My wife produces a crop of ripe sweet corn in
NL in a very similar, but wetter climate to yours, even when we had a
monsoon all through August this year

I thought this discussion had pretty well run its course, but I'm
intrigued, as well as impressed, by that. I assume she uses it for
animal or poultry feed. Is it economic? Does she always get it ripe
enough to provide seed for the following year?

--
MIke.

In article ,
Martin writes:
|
| But there is a worse problem. Even those (and the feedstock varieties)
| don't ripen properly here, so the chances of getting viable seed are
| poor. In some years, maybe - in others, no chance.
|
| Is that still true Nick? My wife produces a crop of ripe sweet corn in
| NL in a very similar, but wetter climate to yours, even when we had a
| monsoon all through August this year

Yes. Fully ripe means that you should get over 95% germination rate on
saved seeds. Have you seen truly ripe maize?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
David Rance writes:
|
| However I do think that our climate is improving to the point where
| maize/sweetcorn is becoming less marginal. For instance, in France more
| than ten years ago I saw maize growing only south of Poitiers. For the
| last ten years or so maize has become a regular crop in Normandy - acres
| of the stuff! ...

That's varieties, not climate. We aren't getting any more sunlight
in September and October than we ever were.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
from "Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow contains these words:

I must be missing something here but I understood that the
question
orignally asked was about growing corn which, as specified in the
subject line, was non-hybrid??????

Yebbut, sweetcorn (to eat on the cob), not maize corn (to kibble,
or
grind flour).

All corn/maize can be eaten if it is young enough. The problem with
most corns is that they are often eaten too old.

The problem for Alan is in getting any old enough variety of
corn/maize that will come true from saved seed (and there is another
but I'll mention it later). If he's still interested (and he's
probably been scarred off by now :-)) then he would be best to look
for heritage varieties in the US where there is a very active seed
savers groups and I know that heritage corn is one of the things that
they've been saving..

Thanks for that, my daughter is now living in the US, I'll have to try to
remember to ask her if she can get some for me!

Alan

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message

The problem for Alan is in getting any old enough variety of
corn/maize that will come true from saved seed (and there is
another
but I'll mention it later). If he's still interested (and he's
probably been scarred off by now :-)) then he would be best to
look
for heritage varieties in the US where there is a very active seed
savers groups and I know that heritage corn is one of the things
that
they've been saving..

Thanks for that, my daughter is now living in the US, I'll have to
try to
remember to ask her if she can get some for me!

Have a look at these sites in the US, they may help :
http://www.seedsavers.org/products.asp?dept=27
http://www.victoryseeds.com/catalog/...corn/corn.html

There is probably more of them too.

Alan

In article ,
Martin writes:
|
| Yes. Fully ripe means that you should get over 95% germination rate on
| saved seeds.
|
| We eat them first.

Precisely. Sweetcorn is unripe maize, before the sugars have been
converted to starch.

| Have you seen truly ripe maize?
|
| I think so. I am sure you are going to tell me I am wrong :-)

How perspicacious you are!

You may have done, but I don't think that you will have done in the
UK, and probably not even in northern France. There is a fairly
long ripening period (needing some warmth and quite a lot of sun)
after the maize has ceased to be worth eating as sweetcorn before
it is fully ripe. In a suitable climate, all of the sugars are
converted to starch before the kernels start drying out, and so
they end up a lot less shrivelled than dried UK ones become.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Martin writes:
|
| Is the maize grown to feed cattle fully ripened or not?

It is not.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Martin wrote:
On 18 Oct 2006 10:46:42 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:


In article ,
Martin writes:
|
| Yes. Fully ripe means that you should get over 95% germination rate on
| saved seeds.
|
| We eat them first.

Precisely. Sweetcorn is unripe maize, before the sugars have been
converted to starch.

| Have you seen truly ripe maize?
|
| I think so. I am sure you are going to tell me I am wrong :-)

How perspicacious you are!

:-)


You may have done, but I don't think that you will have done in the
UK, and probably not even in northern France. There is a fairly
long ripening period (needing some warmth and quite a lot of sun)
after the maize has ceased to be worth eating as sweetcorn before
it is fully ripe. In a suitable climate, all of the sugars are
converted to starch before the kernels start drying out, and so
they end up a lot less shrivelled than dried UK ones become.

Is the maize grown to feed cattle fully ripened or not?

Yes: the grain's imported. Unless there have been some changes putting
me out of date (it wouldn't be the first time), the maize grown in this
country is harvested green, for silage. Of course some is also grown
for the rather inferior cobs you get at the greengrocer's. I don't
think it would be economic to try growing it to maturity.

--
Mike.

In article . com,
"Mike Lyle" writes:
|
| Is the maize grown to feed cattle fully ripened or not?
|
| Yes: the grain's imported. Unless there have been some changes putting
| me out of date (it wouldn't be the first time), the maize grown in this
| country is harvested green, for silage.

I was, of course, referring to the latter :-)

Some may actually be used to make cattle cake, as the whole "UK ripe"
plant is suitable for feeding to ruminants; there is a significant
sugar content in the stems of unripe maize (try it as a sort of sugar
cane). And ruminants aren't good at eating food with no fibre.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.