King Edward potatoes have a pink blush on their skin. King Edward potatoes are a main-crop potato variety and an excellent choice for growing in the vegetable garden.
king-edward-potato
King Edward potatoes are floury with a drier feel. They are ideal for dishes where you want fluffy potatoes or a mash, but they are a good all rounder and are excellent baked.
corn-on-the-cob
Growing sweetcorn in troughs can produce large cobs, if the containers are deep enough.
The tubs should be at least 18inches deep, to allow the sweetcorn roots
to develop. The troughs must have holes at the bottom, to allow water to
drain away.
A 5 inch layer of Farm Yard Manure, at the bottom of the trough, gives
the roots something to go down into. Cover the manure with compost.
Vermiculite and sand can be mixed with the compost, so that the trough
is filled with a light, free draining growing medium.
sweetcorn-cob
Choose an early variety of sweetcorn and start the plants off under glass.
Plant them out when the weather is sure to remain warm.
Keep the Sweet corn well watered. It is important that the soil does not
dry out between watering, so in a dry period the corn needs more
frequent watering. Once the tassels appear, the sweetcorn needs at least
one inch of water per week.
The advantage of growing sweetcorn in containers is that the pot can
often be tucked into a sheltered suntrap.
As sweetcorn is a sub-tropical plant it likes plenty of sunlight and
continual warmth.
Corn-on-the-Cob2
Sunlight and warmth are essential for growing sweetcorn successfully in the
vegetable garden.
Start the sweetcorn seeds off in the greenhouse, or on the windowsill,
and transfer them into the garden when the weather is set to be very
warm and all chances of frost have gone. This is usually early June. The
sweetcorn plants will then romp away. Sweetcorn must keep growing,
without any interruptions.
*Soil for sweetcorn should be light and well drained. Unless the
vegetable garden is very light, it is best to dig a trench about two
feet deep. There must be no compaction at the bottom of the trench. Fill
the trench almost to the top with compost. Add some vermiculite to
lighten the soil and help with drainage. Dig in a little farm yard
manure. Cover with a layer of sand, and mix this in to lighten the soil.
This trench will provide a light, free draining medium for the sweetcorn
roots.
cob-with-tassle
*Nutrition
for the sweetcorn will come from the prepared trench. Sweetcorn uses
masses of potash, which it will get from the compost. The corn needs a
little nitrogen which will come from the farm yard manure around the
roots. The small amount of phosphate necessary will be in the compost.
*Plant sweetcorn in blocks, not rows, as they are pollinated by wind
not insects so if they are in rows, the chances are the wind will blow
the pollen away. If you plant them in blocks there’s a much better
chance of pollination occurring
*Watering Sweet corn is vital to produce full, healthy ears. Once the
tassels appear, the sweetcorn needs at least one inch of water per week.
It is important that the soil does not dry out between watering, so in a
dry period the corn needs more frequent watering.
* Sweetcorn varieties grown in the vegetable garden are of the flint
type – shaped like a tooth. It is important to choose an early variety
if it is growing in the UK, where the summers are short. There are some
new varieties available which are very early.
Sweetcorn can be grown successfully in the vegetable garden, remembering
that it is a sub-tropical plant which needs warmth and light. Sweetcorn
uses masses of potash so needs lots of compost, & it needs free draining
soil. Growing the sweetcorn in a well prepared trench is ideal for the
vegetable garden.
Read this article on growing sweetcorn in containers
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It is time to pick Bramley apples before they are damaged by frosts and birds
or blown off the tree by strong winds.
When Sara from Farming Friends asked the meaning
of senescence, Aiyana came up with
this poem from Ogden Nash:
“Senescence begins
And middle age ends
The day your descendants
Outnumber your friends.”
Please click on the word senescence to go to our glossary and get the full definition of senescence!
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