Corn - how far apart?

[Granny]

I'm growing some of the Hopi Pink corn this year. Daughter brought home a pack of some new bright red hybrid she fell in love with. Anyone have any idea how far apart those two varieties should be to keep that Hopi Pink pure? Special techniques? Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks -
Granny

[Gimme3]

Granny...try an Stagger...by at least 30 days...individual CV sowings. 30 days aughta place ....the second crop, in a pure pollenization zone, from the first. Loved yo post...about tellin a Child....'Thats GrownUp Food"...u got a Whole lotta wisdom....i love to listen to...))) Best Wishes on the Corn...)))

[Granny]

I guess I should fill in my profile Gimme3. I live in Vermont. There ain't no 30 days to stagger with. Our last frost date is May 15, but my grandpa always taught me that only a fool plants tomatoes and corn before Memorial Day here in New England. And you better be ready for it to be done and gone by mid-October. We've had snow on Halloween. No cute little ballerina trick-or-treaters here. They would all freeze to death!

I was thinking more space separation, if such a thing is possible. . . . . . might could plow up some of the front yard if we must.

[Gimme3]

If it was me...granny...id have to Learn the Hard way....i reckon. Id take the longest to Maturity an go ahead an plant it within a week. corn seed can take 25 degree nite time temps, as long as the Sun is warmin the ground up. It'll come up, in 2 weeks or so.Then...id wait 3 weeks...an sew the other CV. I might wait 4, jus dependin on how good the First came up. The second is gonna come up faster, an probly grow faster from infancy, so...waiting to plant it aughta still be enough time.

Good Luck...)))...an if you got a east side and a west side of a Hill, that might Work...too...)))

[Granny]

Thanks Gimme3. I had about decided to do just exactly what you suggest, except I am going to plant the corn with the shorter growing season first. That way it should be close to half-done when the seeds for the other (which will still grow here in the traditional season) go in the ground on Memorial Day.

We do have an east side and west side of the hill - or at least top and bottom pretty well separated, but most of the lower section is deep shade. At least it was before we lost a big chunk of a huge old apple tree over the winter.

[feldon30]

Unless it's a rare variety, saving seed with corn seems dubious to me.

[Granny]

It's Hopi Pink feldon, so it is a "rare."

[Gimme3]

Granny...i think u can Win either way...an sounds like yo thinkin is a Great idea...aint nothin like...Fully utilizin....a Season. Heres to hopin u can Spread the love on them Hopi Pink seed, keep em Pure...and really enjoy...gettin em ground locally for your purposes, and eating.

i have a fairly old pack of Schumway Experimental sweet corn seed, not much in it....but im gon plant it...this mid Summer...jus to find out about it...see if its still got any life in it (2003 seed)...but i sho dont want it to be tassellin ...when the Silver Queen around here is .

Mighty best wishes on yo Corn Cv's...an...would enjoy hearin...your Utilization of the Hopi Pink if it dont get crossbred.

[barkeater]

Granny, how far apart you plant depends on the variety you grow. I'm not familiar with Hopi pink, but googling I found:

Hopi Pink (85-95 days) OP Rare traditional variety of the Hopi nation, this lovely drought-tolerant corn has 5-6 bushy stalks that produce 8in. ears.

Because it says "bushy", plant them 1 foot apart in the row, 3' between rows. And since it is 85-90 days and grows best in the desert, you'll be lucky to get ONE crop here in Vermont. You'll have to plant it around June 1 since its not a cold tolerant seed.

That hybrid your daughter brought home, if it an early variety, you have no problems with cross pollination. If it's also an 85-90 day variety, you'll have to plant them 660 feet apart, according to my gmo containment manual, to insure no cross-pollination. And even that is iffy considering the winds we are subject to, plus anedoctal evidence from Mexico with its dry climate.

[Granny]

Thanks barkeater. I suspected it might be a whole long ways between varieties.

I was lucky enough to live near Hopi some years back and have friends there. If you live along the Connecticut like I do, you would feel not too far from home - lots of sandstone & red cliffs. Rains most of January & February, plants go in the ground in early March. Desert and high country - much higher than we are - so it gets darned good and cold at night, even after the hottest summer day. This particular seed came from a Tomatovillian who has been growing it over New Hampshire way, so it has had at least one season here in New England.

There is nothing I would love more than a stash of pink cornmeal, which you cannot buy for love nor money - even on Hopi. Nothing to lose but a little exercise.

The variety the daughter brought home is Ruby Queen Hybrid - Burpee. Really red sweet corn. 75 days. I found an article at http://www.garden.org/foodguide/brow...ng_started/793 that looks pretty authoritative, so I figured I would stick the Ruby Queen in the ground tomorrow, following their directions. That should insure that the Ruby Queen is about half grown by the time the Hopi Pink gets out of bed. If all goes well we will both get our corn. Otherwise, I guess we'll have to eat store-bought this year.

[Gimme3]

"There is nothing I would love more than a stash of pink cornmeal, which you cannot buy for love nor money - even on Hopi. Nothing to lose but a little exercise."



Amen....Granny...)))

[barkeater]

Seeing you're in the Connecticut River valley, you're a lot warmer than where I am in the NEK at 1500'. If you are in southern Vermont, I would suggest planting the red hybrid about a week earlier, around May 22, than you do the Hopi. That will ensure pollination at different times so you can save Hopi seed without any contamination concerns. (unless a close neighbor is growing corn that pollinates when your's does). Good luck!

[Granny]

Barkeater, what I was worried about was next year's crop. I would like to preserve that Hopi Pink. Sorry I was unclear. Of all people, I should know that there is Vermont, and then there is Vermont. If you don't like the weather wait ten minutes or move 5 miles. Luckily, I do not think anyone near by - certainly not within that 660 feet - is growing corn, mostly because I do not think there is anyone within that distance with room to grow corn. We seem to have about the only uninhabited half-acre or so suitable for gardening close by. The folks next door do have that kind of space, but theirs is dedicated to a fabulous shiny green lawn. I don't like to mow.

NE Kingdom at 1500'? We used to live up that way. Cold. Muddy. In and out to town 4 times during the day of that big ice storm we had some years back. Definitely studded snows & wood stove country!

Here we are in a little bitty pocket of 5b I think, at least in the terraced gardens behind the house. There is a rose I really want that is a 6. Thinking of trying it next to the stone wall with all-day southern exposure.

Thanks for all your help and input! Next year I may plow up the side yard so I can grow some green tortilla corn.

[Granny]

Gimme3 - that "old" corn sounds like fun to play with. I have heard that scientists have actually grown out 800 year old corn found at Keet Seel (might be spelled wrong) - an Anasazi cliff dwelling out in AZ. I know that beans found there when the place was discovered have been grown. Buy them often - Anasazi beans they are called. Noticed the other day that Seeds of Change is offering an Anasazi corn, so maybe that is the one.

I also noticed somewhere that they say you can start corn inside in the same way we do tomatoes. Maybe you should try that with part of your stash - might at least prove viability. Though if your house looks like mine at present, there isn't room for even one more plant. And I have no clue what I am going to do if the asparagus germinates before I move the tomatoes outside. Getting so I don't even have room to pot up in here.

Hopefully all will go well and my biggest problem will be finding a place to get the corn ground - or buying a hand mill, I guess. I do know how to do stone ground by hand Hopi style corn grinding, but my old knees won't take that anymore.

[Gimme3]

Barkeater...u dead wrong...about cross polination on Corn...it will turn a white corn into a bi-color...or a yellow...the same.