The three major types/tasty sweet corn are known as standard, sugary extender, and supersweet. The standard is a su gene that is mostly your old-time favorite varieties including Silver Queen, Stowell's Evergreen, and Jubilee. The standard type will germinate in cooler soils better than the supersweet and once they are harvested you have to do something with them quickly because they normally last about 3 days in the fridge. While the sugary extender or sugary enhance type is where you will find the majority of the most popular varieties such as Silver King, Bodacious, Incredible, Peaches & Cream, Ambrosia, and Argent Sweet Corn. Typically the sugary enhance gene can store a little better than the standard type and needs a little warmer soil temperatures to germinate. Lastly, the supersweet type is known for storing the longest once harvested and requires even warmer soil temperatures to germinate in the garden. Also, the supersweets require a little more maintenance than the standard or sugary enhanced type. Now an uncommon type is known as triplesweet corn which actually contains all three of the major genes such as the standard, sugary enhance, and supersweet. One thing about having the triplesweet contain all three of the major genes is that you don't have to isolate when planting. Therefore, if you want to grow two different varieties of sweet corn you should plant whichever variety of the standard, sugary enhanced, or supersweet then wait two weeks and plant you a triplesweet in the vegetable garden.
Planting/Growing Tips
The main factor about planting sweet corn is it should be planted in blocks, not rows. Corn is pollinated by the wind so if you experience corn cobs that are half-filled at the end of the growing season it is most likely due to pollination issues. Therefore, planting in squares that are larger and blockier the better your pollination will be throughout the growing season. Another important factor about pollination is ensuring that your fertilizer is delivered right to your corn to help with the coincide of the tassel and silk development. When it comes to spacing, corn has a standard row spacing of 36 inches. Travis has tried growing corn with two-foot spacing but was not successful because there is too much foliage and your pollen can't fall to the silks. For seed spacing along the row, it can vary a little bit depending on what irrigation you have, however, the most ideal is 6 to 8 inches apart. When dealing with fungus and disease on corn we suggest using Liquid Copper Fungicide, Complete Disease Control, or Spinosad.
Show and Tell Segment
On the show and tell segment, Greg and Travis discuss a little bit about the pandemic that is happening right now. Travis has some Pak Choi that he has harvested from the garden. This variety of cabbage is a fast producing crop that creates steady production and excellent flavor profiles. Next, he has a variety of Gold Nugget Carrots that were grown in the garden for the first time this year and they are similar to the Bugs Bunny type carrots. The guys also compare their onion varieties that were harvested from the garden area.
Viewer Questions Segment
On the question and answer segment this week, the guys answer questions about when to plant tomatoes and planting watermelons. Travis mentions that he just has a feeling when it's time to plant tomatoes in the garden. He kinda knows when the frost is done and the temperatures start warming up it's time to plant. Greg says he still has to get drip tape in the ground, but it is time once the true leaves start coming up in the greenhouse.
