I'm being a bit naughty with my sweetcorn seed, as I'm going to save my own and really it should be from a bigger population.
This is from about 40-45 plants and then only a few of them selected out. Really it should be from around 100 from what I've read. I've also read that if I don't intend to save from this lot every year then it should also be fine.
It will help to save a bit of money (only about £7 if I bought two packets! but every little helps) and will mean I can plant a decent patch next year.
They were super tasty when we ate some, but as always I didn't grow enough. This variety is called "Special Swiss" and is open pollinated. If it was an F1 then saving seed from it wouldn't really be a good idea (unless it was part of a breeding program).
The cobs are stripped and drying in the house, I'm just hoping they don't go bad now. I should have enough for our plot here and plenty for the seed swap as well.
My children really think it's normal to have seeds drying all round the house this time of year!
Who else saves sweetcorn (or Corn/maise) each year? And if you do what sort of population of plants do you save from?
It has never crossed my mind so I'm interested to learn about your results next year. I have saved seed in the form of varieties that dry on the cob before use anyway like popcorn and Indian corn. Just never sweet corn.
ReplyDeleteNever thought about saving seed - too busy eating them all!
ReplyDeleteNo harm in trying, Kev. I suppose one could get some other next year to increase the population.
ReplyDeleteI have saved small amounts for years. I have not benefitted (corn never took in New Home), but others with better skills were able to use the seeds to good effect.
Years ago, I grew a garden plot of open-pollinated field corn called Minnesota 13. It's common for this variety to produce a few red kernel ears and the first year I harvested 2-3 red ears. I planted the red ears the next year and managed to get a much higher percentage of red ears which I saved and replanted. After a few years of doing that, I can now plant that seed and get a consistent red ear of corn. I managed that from just a couple of ears of corn, so I'm not sure if you actually need 100 ears of sweet corn to save seed on a garden scale.
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