Growing Corn Curbside

Please watch and share my latest “Late Bloomer,” “Growing Corn Curbside,” the 20th episode and end of season 1! Also, the corn episode completes the corn, tomato and watermelon trilogy. Watch here, or higher resolution, including HD, on youtube.

Once again, I have to deal with my hard, clay soil, but, it was worth it. With corn this fresh, who needs to cook it?

What’s in store for Season 2? Well, more Monarchs, my winter garden, and lots, lots more! Thanks for your support! Comments welcome! – Kaye

Peel n’ Eat

One of the great privileges of growing your own corn, is, when it’s ripe and you’re hungry, you can peel n’ eat. My grandmothers always had fresh corn, but I never ate corn raw till I was in my 30’s.

I know this ear is a bit small and homely, but it tasted great! Only took a minute to polish it off.

This stubby one, however, was too far gone, and pasty. After a couple of bites, I tossed it.

Since everyone passing by they told me they had trouble growing corn here, I was thrilled when I got ANY kind of ear with kernels on it. Many ears had a couple of kernels or none at all. And I shook the tassels every day. Next year, I will know better how to grow it, thanks to all the great advice I’ve gotten. Look for my corn episode of “Late Bloomer” in a few weeks! Thanks for stopping by! – Kaye

Nasty Aphids Attack Corn

Everyone passing by my garden has told me they had trouble growing corn here, and I am no exception! Though, I naively thought I might be. As I was out shaking the tassels (someone said they did that to promote pollination), I discovered my second corn plant has been attacked.

I did not notice this yesterday when I was out working to shore up the tomatoes.

Super nasty. In fact, most of the plant is covered. So, I’m wondering, since it’s right beside strawberries, a cucumber, bean, basil and herbs, if I should just chop it down. If I hose it off, all those eggs and larvae go into the soil.

As I’ve discovered on the corn plant that I planted at the same time across the sidewalk (no aphids detected), there are very few kernels, which I heard results from poor pollination.

Brooke thought it tasted good anyway. And on another ear, this critter was happily munching. She was eating on the cob, however.

Moving on to a little garden success. I harvested my 7th (of 8 total) red cabbages, and will eat tonight.

Even the backside is beautiful in the sun with the silvery green leaves.

And this is how the Amaranth seed plumes look today. Absolutely everyone passing by my garden asks me about the Amaranth.

Please let me know what I should do with the corn. Thanks for reading! – Kaye

Corn Advice Welcome!

I am growing corn in my parkway (the strip between the sidewalk and the street), and the yard near the sidewalk. Everyone who walks by tells me they had trouble growing corn. I thought I was going to be the exception.

Yesterday, a couple went by and said they grew corn, but the ears were tiny.  When I took a closer look (hey, there’s a lot to take care of out there, and I hadn’t noticed), there were these ungainly small ears on the tops of the stalks. They also said you were supposed to shake the plants every day to make sure they pollinated. I didn’t do that.

Because the husk is split open to reveal kernels, I am assuming these are no good. I thought I might dry these kernels for seeds. I read about corn the other day (I thought it was about time), and it said when the silks turn brown they are about ready to harvest. Almost all my silks are brown on the ends.

Another thing, my plants are not all that tall, and there’s corn growing just a few inches from the ground. The book said a single plant produces one to two ears! Mine are loaded. There’s a dozen ears growing on this double standard.

I’m thinking I could harvest all these. Should I give it a try? I plan to eat them raw.

Now, here’s a funny one. This is the only double plant of a different variety, and one set of tassels was rose colored, and the other, taller one was white like the rest.

This is the bottom of that plant, ears close to the ground, and silks are rose and white, like the tassels.

Neighbors Courtney and Ashley bought some ladybugs and distributed them in my garden. I told them to put some on the corn, but, this couple are more interested in fraternizing than eating bugs.

Thanks for reading! Corn advice welcome! – Kaye

Corn Eclipsed!

After working all afternoon to plant my ten new organic corn seedlings, my neighbor, C.L., came over with a welding mask so we wouldn’t miss the eclipse. It’ll be 12 more years till the next one, so thought I would take a few photos. I shot through the green glass till the sun sank behind some clouds and I was able to get this photo.

I had spent a few hours conditioning my soil (that means putting my adobe soil through a wire screen, removing rocks, breaking up the clods, layering with alfalfa like a layer cake), and then planted eight seedlings in this 6’x 3′ slice of my parkway.

Yeah, I crammed them into the spot where I had 3 purple cabbages. I harvested two of the purple cabbages (which you will see in my next episode of “Late Bloomer,” “Purple Cabbage Saga,”) and transplanted the smaller one, so that I would have a clear rectangle for corn. I hear they love to be crowded together so they cross-pollinate. They are all the same variety, Double Standard. Nearly each seedling has two shafts. I happened to look closely at my more advanced cornstalks and discovered black aphid eggs! I got out my spray bottle and blasted them.

While I had my sprayer out (loaded with water, a few drops of plant-based dish soap, a sprig of fresh rosemary, and a splash of apple cider vinegar for good measure), I inspected my six remaining cabbages and found two were LOADED with grey aphid eggs! Does anyone have a non-toxic solution for aphids, or must I have my bottle in hand every time I step into the garden? Thanks for reading! – Kaye

Ecstasy and Agony

I love going out to the garden in the morning to see what’s happening. Sometimes it’s a good thing, like getting a good look at my first corn tassel shooting up. I planted two Double Standard seedlings March 24.

Or, discovering my first tomato on one of my five seedlings, all different varieties, planted in the ground March 25. See “Rainy Day,” Episode 4 of “Late Bloomer.” I searched for the tag, and couldn’t find it, so I will have to be surprised what kind of tomato this is. I love coming back inside with the smell of tomato plant on my hands.

Next, I decided what we would be having for dinner, purple cabbage slaw in Chinese dressing (if you want the recipe, just ask!). I think this one is ready, at six inches across, don’t you? And it’s nice and firm. I have really babied these two cabbages (you have no idea!!) since I planted the seedlings on February 1. I’ll be covering my purple cabbage saga in an upcoming episode of “Late Bloomer.”

Then, there are the issues for which this late bloomer has no answers. Two zucchini got fat at one end, and are rotten on the other. Yuck. Are these just misfires, or what?

And my once GLORIOUS Lemon Queen Sunflower (this plant had 26 blooms and got as many compliments from neighbors), is sagging, and I don’t know if it’s the natural cycle of sunflowers, or it’s because I trimmed off the very top one (the shaft is hollow, by the way) after it wilted (thinking I would keep it looking nice, haha), and now the whole plant is sad. The sadness started at the top and worked it’s way down.

I just received my “Sunset Western Garden Guide to Edibles” (about time I studied up on what I am doing!), and there’s only one page on sunflowers, and my neighbors seem to disagree on what went wrong, if anything, and what I am to do now. Thoughts? Thanks for reading! – Kaye