Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. It has been very dry here and we finally received 1 1/2″ of rain a few days ago. I was very thankful there wasn’t much wind so the sweet corn didn’t blow over. I was prepared, though, because it always happens this time of the year. Just when i start picking corn… The rows have been hilled to the max so I would have plenty of dirt when I need it. Hilling also helps keep it standing to a point, but in high winds it will blow over anyway. The above photo and the one below were taken on July 13… The ‘Silver Queen’ on the right was planted on May 23 and has been tasseling for a week or so. The beginning ear leaves are coming out closer to the top of the plant than with ‘Incredible’ (right side). There are four double rows of each variety 25′ long (or so). They look very happy.
The above photo is a view from the northeast corner.
On Friday May 14, I had been working in Clinton. I knew there was a storm on the way, and it wasn’t going to be good. Rain wasn’t all that was coming and the sky was telling the tale. I got home and was getting ready to take a nap when the phone rang. The preacher called and asked if I could pick up a lady and her daughter from the ER because he was out of town. I had to drive back to Clinton to to pick them up and bring them back to Windsor where they lived. I was happy to do but I checked the weather first. The weather channel indicated the storm wasn’t going to hit until 7 PM, so I thought I could get there and back by then. After I was on the highway about 5 miles, I didn’t believe the Weather Channel… The wind picked up about 8 miles from Clinton then it POURED!!! The pickup was blowing all over the highway and at times I couldn’t even see the lines on the road. A;; I could think about was the sweet corn. By the time I got to the ER the rain and died down to a sprinkle, but just as I pulled on the highway it hit again. It poured all the way back to Windsor and only died down once the we got into town.
When I came home, I drove by the garden and it didn’t look so bad. But, the wind and rain weren’t over yet…
The rain and wind finally stopped at 8 PM so I went to have a look. GEEZ!!! The ‘Silver Queen’ at around 8′ tall got the worse end of the deal.
The above photo is the dividing line between the ‘Silver Queen’ and ‘Incredible’.
This is a view from the front of the ‘Incredible’. Not near as bad… I had to wait until the next day to stand the corn back up because the ground was so muddy.
On May 15, I went to the garden and stood the corn back up. It took over and hour but all was well. It would have made a great new post about standing corn back up. The first one, “How Does Corn Stand Back Up”, was published on July 1 in 2017 and has had 3039 views so far. It is still getting a lot of views… July 1 in 2020 was the worse when “The Day After: A Miracle?” was published.
Sunday, July 16… Another severe storm is on the way. I think it was about 30 minutes before it was supposed to hit, so I went to the garden to work on the tomato vines. Some of them were getting carried away and needed to have their support tended to.
Bush Green Bean ‘Provider’ on 7-16-23.
The ‘Tendergreen’ and Contender’ Green Beans have been a disappointment 4 double rows 25′ or so long only produced 7 quarts of green beans after several pickings. Even though I watered them every 2-3 days (one night I forgot to turn the water off), the heat and hot wind caused the flowers to abort and fall off. Of course, the watering helped knock off the flowers as well. I had picked a few ‘Provider’ green beans but they were just getting started. While I was standing the corn up next to them I noticed I needed to get busy picking them. I picked A LOT! I wound up with a full 6-quart stock pot to put in the freezer.
Sweet Corn ‘Silver Queen’ on 7-16-23.
I was thinking about picking more sweet corn, but the weather had other plans… I went ahead and took more photos after I was finished with the tomatoes.
Watermelon ‘Sugar Baby’ on 7-16-23.
The Watermelon ‘Sugar Baby’ are doing well. The above photo is the biggest one. I like everything BIG, so I surprised myself by planting small watermelons. I planted them late, but I think they will be fine. They seem to be growing fast.
Tomato ‘Goliath’ on 7-16-23.
The ‘Goliath’ tomato plants are growing fast as usual. I like ‘Goliath’ for the size of their fruit and because I like to watch them grow.
Tomato ‘Goliath’ on 7-16-23.
They grow big clusters of HUGE tomatoes. No problems with army worms “yet”.
Tomato ‘German Johnson’ on 7-16-23.
The Tomato ‘German Johnson’ have been one of my favorite for big tomatoes with a great old fashioned flavor.
Tomato ‘Celebrity’ on 7-16-23.
Of course, I planted ‘Celebrity’ which seems to always do well and tastes very good, too.
Sweet Corn ‘Ambrosia’ on 7-16-23.
Ummm… The ‘Ambrosia’ has been so confusing this year. It was planted the same time as ‘Incredible’ on May 3 and it refused to grow (except on the other end). Corn can be weird, but I have never seen anything like it. It was watered every 2-3 days for 2-4 hours, was fertilized twice, and it has just baffled me. The plants on the other end grew taller while most of it is 3-4 feet. It is supposed to be the same size as ‘Incredible’ like it was in 2021… Even so, I have somehow picked 22 ears, some not so good, but a few have been perfect. If you have grown ‘Ambrosia’, it can be confusing to know when the ears are ready. Yellow corn, like ‘Incredible’ (for example) have good sized ears (with the husks on) that feel nice and full. ‘Ambrosia’ isn’t like that. Even though the silk is dry and appears ready, they and much narrower. You will get fooled if you pass them by. So, you wait a few days and realize they were ready before. But, there are those ears you think are ready that are not. DOUBLE GEEZ! You can check by using your fingernails to open the wrapper leaves, but if the corn isn’t ready, the bugs get in and have an easy snack…
Sweet Corn ‘Ambrosia’ on 7-16-23.
Even the smaller stalks are trying very hard…
Pardon the grass… The grass and weeds have started growing since the rain.
So, around 1:30 when the last photo was taken, the wind was blowing and the storm was about to hit. At least that is what the radar showed when I went outside. One of those where we would be right in the middle of the “orange” when was heavy rain… As I was writing this post I was waiting for it to hit and go back out afterwards for a final photo for this post. The corn had already been whipping around and I was prepared to stand it back up again… But nothing happened. I checked the Weather Channel and the storm completely disappeared!
Well, it takes a while to write a post, so at 3, I had to go check the garden…
Hmmm… The sun was out…
Everything looks fine!
The corn is only slightly leaning….
WHEW! That was a close one. It amazes me how the storm vanished like that!
Now I can take a nap and maybe pick corn afterwards. I have already picked 91 ears…
Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful. Get as dirty as you can, it will be OK. I know, because I have gotten plenty dirty this past week and I am feeling GREAT!
The Belmont Rooster 
WOW! You have an amazing garden! I’m glad you missed the storm. I’m glad you got RAIN!
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Hello, Linda! We are all grateful for the rain. I forgot to mention the rain we received on Friday was 8/10″. Mostly a lot of wind. The 1 1/2″ was indeed much needed. The field corn crops around here are a disaster. Much of the corn around here that looks good has no ears. No hay crop to speak of either so some of the farmers are feeding it to their cows. I hope your crops are doing much better. I guess I could go to your site, huh? I’ll get there soon. Take care and thanks for the comment!
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I remember your previous posts about managing your corn stands. Good thing you don’t have 40 or 80 acres of it to stand back up. You’d never finish. We bought some corn from a local stand last week. It wasn’t as sweet or tender as I remember last year’s first corn. We will try again tho. My tomato plants are looking good.
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Hello, Jim! Having 40 acres of sweet corn would be terrible! 🙂 Previously, one of the farmers at church told me it would stand back up on its own. That may be true, but not the right way. I don’t need corn laying down between the rows where I walk either. 🙂 I bought some sweet corn earlier from the Amish and it was very hard and didn’t have much flavor. It was bi-color which seems to be very popular with consumers. So far what I have eaten out of my own garden has been better but not as sweet. I think rain instead of well water would have been much better, plus inorganic fertilizer instead of “the good stuff”. I miss the good stuff! It is a shock to get ready for the first bite of fresh sweet corn of the season only to taste something that looks like corn without the AHHH flavor. I put 57 ears, mostly ‘Incredible’, in the freezer this evening. I forgot to add the four that was eaten tonight. 🙂 Glad to hear your tomatoes are doing well. I have bought a few fresh tomatoes that have been very good. I hope you and yours are doing well. Take care and thanks for the comment.
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As a non-gardener, I’m always amazed by the amount of work a garden requires. I’m glad you didn’t suffer from the weather more than you did. When I think back to my Iowa summers, the best seasonal foods always were sweet corn and tomatoes — and watermelon! I’ve had Sugar Babies, and they’re delicious. I hope yours are, too. I’m waiting for some Colorado sweet corn to show up in our stores; it’s usually the best, but their crops might be weather-affected this year, too.
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Hello, Linda! Gardening can be a lot of work, but enjoying it until the next harvest is worth it. We needed the rain and I suppose it takes a little wind to get it here. GEEZ! It could ave been worse for sure. I have been eating a few corn on the cob and green beans. Put another 59 ears in the freezer tonight, making a total of 201. 🙂 I hope the good sweet corn comes your way soon. Take care and thanks for the comment.
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Hi Lonnie
Lovely to see your a amazing garden & hear about the storm that was & the storm that wasn’t!! Weather has been changeable & unpredictable here too but rain most days so everything’s growing ok. Courgettes, cucumbers, tomato’s, butternut, peppers & Eggplant all ok but on a tiny scale compared to yours. We just need sun ☀️ to ripen it all.
I’m going to grow corn next year !
Keep well
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Hello, Debbie! Glad to hear you have had plenty of rain to keep everything growing well. El Nino has played havoc with the U.S. this year with drought in some areas and massive flooding in others. Glad to hear you are going to grow sweet corn next year. Just make sure you plant it in blocks of four rows or more for successful pollination. 🙂 Dad always planted double rows (since the late 1970’s when he bought his Troy Built Tiller) so that is what I always do. I didn’t in 2021 as an experiment and I still had a great harvest. Gardening is great fun and it is always an experiment which can be more challenging in weird weather conditions. Bicolor corn is more difficult, in my opinion, for several reasons… If you haven’t grown corn before, best try with a yellow SE or Sh2 type. I am doing well and hope you are, too. Take care and thanks for the comment!
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Ooh that’s Great, thanks for the tips – I have it all down 🌽 🙂
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🙂
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