corn « Giantveggiegardener's Blog

Archive for corn

Veggies I will and won’t grow this year and why in 2011

January 10, 2011 · Filed under BEANS, Bennings green tint scalloped squash, bush beans, carrots, corn, Costata Romanesco, cucumbers, EGGPLANT, Fairy eggplant, GARDENING TIPS, general, GIANT PUMPKINS, GIANT TOMATOES, GIANT VEGGIES-OTHER, LETTUCE/GREENS, Lungo Bianco, marrows, PEPPERS, pole beans, SEEDS, shishito peppers, SUMMER SQUASH, sunflowers, Thai Yellow Egg, tomatoes, VEGETABLES, winter squash, yellow scalloped summer squash, zucchini · Tagged giant vegetables, growing tomatoes, vegetable seeds

Here is my veggie list from last year. I thought it important to go through it and tell you what I will and won’t grow again and why before I forget. Look at my SEED LIST PAGE next week (as it could always change) to see exactly what I am growing in 2011

TOMATO-HEIRLOOMS
San Marzano-red plum tomato-YES-I will try again even though ALL 4 died. I hear too many good things about this tomato

Striped German-bicolor tomato-YES-I WILL grow it again for my third straight year-One of my favorites even though it takes a little longer to develop

Black Cherry-YES- I will grow this for my third straight year-another favorite

Paul Robeson-black tomato-YES-A Farmers Market favorite although I prefer others.

Cherokee Purple-purple tomato-NO-I missed this one last year but it is wonderful. As good as Brandywine.

Cherokee Chocolate-YES-Just as good as Cherokee purple but a little brownish color. I will choose between one of the Cherokees due to space.

Prudens Purple-purple tomato-NO-not as good as the Cherokees nor as prolific but planted it because it was suppose to ripen sooner-not true for me last year.

Black Krim-black tomato-NO I didn’t do this one last year but had it in the lineup because it is only 69 days to ripen. Never had good luck in previous years.

Pantano Romanesco-red classic tomato-YES-wonderful tomato from Italy

Great White-NO- novelty-lost both plants

Costoluto Genovese-red tomato-YES fantastic looking-fluted and great taste

Goldsman Italian American-large red plum-YES even though I lost 3 out of 4, and it took forever to ripen, it makes the BEST tasting tomato sauce I’ve ever made

Aunt Ruby’s German Green-NO-Novelty-lost 2 plants

Gold Medal-bicolor tomato-MAYBE-took longer to ripen than Striped German but great taste

TOMATOES-HYBRID-I grow a few hybrids
Lemon Boy-MAYBE-didn’t get any in last year but it is a sweet terrific tomato

Park’s Beefy Boy-red tomato-70 days-YES-only 70 days and great taste

Sun Sugar-yellow cherry-NO-kinda like a lot of yellow cherry tomatoes but super sweet.Want to try something different.

Original Goliath-red tomato-NO- nice size, early ripener but can’t remember the flavor

TOMATO-COMPETITION (biggest)
Big Zac-red/80 days-YES-takes the longest to ripen but taste is great and chance to grow a huge one.

2010 VEGGIE LIST
BEANS-Rattlesnake-YES-great tasting pole bean over my arbor and Tavera-NO average tasting bush bean

PEPPER-Shishito-YES-I love these-not hot but full of flavor

SUMMER SQUASH-ZUCCHINI-Costata Romanesco -YES wonderful taste and Lungo Bianco-NO-it was good and more prolific than Romanesco but not as flavorful. Sticking to one kind this year.

SUMMER SQUASH-SCALLOPED-Yellow Custard and Bennings Green Tint-NO on both. I’m only growing Costata Romanesco

WINTER SQUASH-Marina di Chioggia-NO-powdery mildew problem and not many squashes and Galeux d’Eyesines-YES-prolific-great taste-3rd yr.

EGGPLANT-Little Fairy-YES-prolific tender skin and great taste, third year in a row. Thai Yellow Egg-NO-took all season to develop and then froze at first frost. What a disappointment.

CUCUMBERS-Parisian, Boothsby Blonde, Poona Kera, and Parade-YES TO ALL-Third straight season

CORN-not sure if I’m growing. Might just pick it up at Farmers Market

LETTUCES-from COOK’S GARDEN-Provencal Mix, Mesclun Mix, Buttercrunch, Yugoslavian Red, Santoro Lettuce, and Little Gem-YES

SPINACH-from COOK’S GARDEN-Indian Summer and Double Choice-NO-will look for bigger leaf variety.Too puny.

CARROTS-from COOK’S GARDEN-Kaleidoscope (mix of red, purple, orange and yellow)-NO want only orange and purple ones this year.

BROCCOLI-Brocolli Romanesco-NO-takes too long to develop.

ARUGULA-Apollo-YES

BOK CHOY-Extra Dwarf Pak Choy-YES

CHARD-5 Color Silverbeet-YES TO ANY CHARD

PEAS-DWARF SUGAR, OREGON SPRING II-YES

2010 GIANT PUMPKINS
895 Grande (1016 Daletas x 1385 Jutras)-YES-grew the 2010 NM State Record Pumpkin-421 lbs + 3 other new ones

GIANT MARROW (like a giant Zucchini)
206.5 Wursten 09-YES-didn’t grow last year but will this year

75.4 Wursten 09-YES-grew the 2010 NM State Record-43 lbs

GIANT TOMATOES
7.18 N. Harp 09 (5.58 Timm x open) YES-grew a 2 lb 11 oz tomato in 2010

5.416 N. Harp 09 (5.58 Harp x open-YES

Big Zac (from Totally Tomato)-YES

GIANT SUNFLOWERS
Titans-YES

Comments (1) »

zinnas and japonica corn

August 14, 2010 · Filed under corn · Tagged corn, seed savers exchange, zinnias

Here is a picture of some beautiful zinnias right next to Japonica corn. The corn comes from Japan, is organic and I bought it purely for its beautiful leaves. I got it from Seed Saver’s Exchange and here is the description from them-”Extremely beautiful ornamental corn from Japan, listed in the 1890s as Striped-Leafed Japanese Maize. Variegated leaves striped with green, white, yellow and pink. Tassels are dark purple, kernels are burgundy. Beautiful used as a border.”

Leave a comment »

Cucumbers,Tomatoes and squash oh my!

August 6, 2010 · Filed under corn, cucumbers, SUMMER SQUASH, tomatoes · Tagged growing vegetables

looking from inside the garden out

Lava suggested I take some shots of the garden as it is right now-a jungle-not just closeups! I need to get in and trim and prune everything but it is fun to look at especially here in Santa Fe where everything tends to be dry. Lava also suggested I get on the roof of the barn to get a bird’s view and I just might do it! Meanwhile here are the jungle garden pics!

corn and winter squash

summer squash

entry into the tomato jungle

between rows of tomatoes

cucumbers

Leave a comment »

Garden Arbor Entrance update August 4

August 6, 2010 · Filed under corn, EDIBLE FLOWERS, general, GIANT VEGGIES-OTHER, pole beans, sunflowers · Tagged garden arbor, Japonica corn, rattlesnake beans, Titan sunflowers

garden arbor entrance

Here is a picture of the garden arbor in my entrance to the veggie garden. The ‘Rattlesnake’ beans, a pole variety that can grow 13 feet a season, are doing really well covering the arbor-just like I envisioned when I built it at the beginning of the season. An added bonus is they taste great. You only have to pick the beans before they get too big and tough. I ate some raw right out of the garden and they have a nutty sweet flavor that I like better than the ‘Contender’ bush beans that are just finishing up. Rattlesnake beans are a winner!

entrance right side

Also pictured to the right of the arbor are chartreuse colored ‘Golden Sunshine’ Scarlet Runner beans I got from Cook’s Garden growing on the fence. They come from England. I love their bright yellow green leaves against the other greens. I grow them just because they are so beautiful and I love that purple varigated color of the seeds when they are dried. They haven’t flowered yet as they are just climbing the fence but when they do, the bright red blossoms will look great against that yellow-green.

Behind the Scarlet runner beans, still on the right side of the entrance are my giant ‘Titan’ sunflowers that will be fantastic a little later when they get their huge flowers. They will grow up to 10 feet tall and have heads that can get up to 24 inches wide! I call all sunflowers the guardian angels of the garden. Did you know sunflower flower heads follow the sun all day long? Sun worshipers! Hence their name. They are so majestic! Behind them are various flowers that will be blooming soon to add color and attract beneficial insects.

entrance inside left

On the left side just inside the entrance, are asparagus fronds, calendula, ”Bright Lights’ chard, ‘Chianti’ sunflowers, multicolor ‘Japonica’ corn from Seedsavers Exchange and other flowers coming along. I got a late start in this section of the garden but it should look great later this month and I will take more pictures then.

Leave a comment »

Battle with the birds!

June 26, 2010 · Filed under BIRDS, corn, general, VEGETABLES · Tagged corn, row cover

corn under row cover

Battle with the birds! I will have to replant the scarlet runner beans as the birds got the seedlings. The row cover I put on where I planted the seeds blew off and the birds were able to get to the seedlings before I could cover them again. Yum bean sprouts! Some of the winter squash seeds got picked out before it even germinated so I replanted that also. Row cover is great stuff-it keeps birds, rabbits and bugs out, you can water through it, it provides some shade protection from the UV rays here in Santa Fe at 7000 feet altitude and it helps against hail (unless it is huge) by diverting the hail from punching holes in big leaf plants like pumpkins and winter squash. I keep lightweight row cover (.03-.05) on until the plants start to flower and then you need to take it off for the pollinators to do their thing. As you can see in the picture I uncovered the corn seedlings which are under the row cover. The drip system is also under the row cover and the seedlings are coming up under it. After the seedlings are bigger, the birds won’t be interested and I will take it off. A friend of mine reported that her birds have even poked holes in her row cover-at least my birds haven’t figure out how to do that!

Leave a comment »

sweet corn in!

June 13, 2010 · Filed under corn, GARDENING TIPS, general, VEGETABLES · Tagged corn, vegetable gardening

Finally the last of the garden is in. Corn. I was going to plant a variety called ‘Silver Queen’ but that takes 82+ days and I’m planting so late that I don’t think I have time for it to harvest since that would put me in mid September. So I’m planting a variety called ‘Spring Treat’ which takes only 68 days to maturity. If any of you get a late start on your veggies, just look at the package where it says how many days it matures in and get a variety that takes less time-that way you can still get lots of veggies this season.

Leave a comment »