Anglo Automatics
UK sown, UK grown
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Sorry I haven't seen this thread earlier. I agree with Maria. This year I started my autos two weeks before they went into the cornfield, as to take advantage of the strong sunshine and longer days in late June/early July. I didn't want to miss out on that sun around the summer solstice, so I germinated them earlier, as I have to wait until the 2nd week of July before planting in the cornfield. I also wanted to give them a head start, which should also mean I am out of this cornfield a week or two earlier this year as well. By first week of September hopefully.
Now, planting too early when the corn is small can be very dangerous. Don't even think about planting in May, or June even. Firstly there is little cover to hide your plants and cages/mesh, and you will also stick out like a saw thumb going to your spot as there is no cover. Unless you do it at night. Even then you risk your plants getting spotted still in the daytime, or the cages reflecting light. You'll be surprised how many people walk through the cornfields with their dogs when the shoots are coming up, or when they're a foot or two high, trampling them. But people rarely venture into the corn when it starts getting taller, because of the natural barriers it creates. It's annoying to move through. The same concept applies to the deer in the area. They won't go in there much once it gets to a certain height, say 4 foot, because it is hard to navigate and move through. I would still cage your plants though, just to be sure. Mine were nibbled in the cornfield through their cages in September last year. So if you're putting up cages, you need the corn to be a few feet tall at least to conceal them.
The other problem (and this is a big problem) is anytime from April - July the farmer might have the field sprayed with roundup to stop other weeds growing and competing with the corn. This is usually applied once at plant out, say in early May, and again 6 weeks later around mid June, but this can vary year on year, and fields can be sprayed as late as mid July sometimes, so you've got to be careful. If your plants are in the field and they get sprayed with that weed killer, they are toast.
The only way you can be safe about this for sure, is to wait until the corn is a good 4-5 foot high as the farmer won't be able to drive through that with his machine at that height without damaging the corn, so he won't. If the corn is 2-3 feet high, he can still drive through to spray it. At 4 feet it becomes near impossible without badly damaging the corn. Remember that. Down my way, that means waiting until early July at least. Just to be safe. Although this year my field wasn't even sprayed, not once, so I would have maybe got away with planting in June. But that would have been a big risk as the corn was only just sprouting in late May/early June this year, so it has grown 5 feet in 5 weeks. In previous years, my field has usually been sprayed in early May and a second time in late June, but nearby fields were sprayed in early July two years ago. So again, it makes sense to wait until the first/second week of July before planting, just in case. Better safe than sorry.
Also make sure you dig a big hole and remove the original soil so none of that skanky, chemically, poor quality soil is getting into your plant. I usually dig a bigger hole than required and put in more soil/compost/manure than I need just to be safe. That way the plant isn't tapping into the cornfield soil which is dry, barren, not very fertile and possibly chemical ridden. This year I have also used water retaining compost with water crystals as it has been so bloody dry and because the corn sucks up all the moisture from the surrounding soil. Therefore your plants may require hand watering if it's dry, particularly in August.
Whatever you do, don't damage the corn when you walk through it as well or you'll create a path to your plants. Or a damaged area that has been walked through which might catch someones attention. Night visits will cause you to damage more corn as you won't see where you are walking, but once the corn gets over 6-7ft it is stronger and less likely to get toppled over.
Also, I have never heard of corn being chopped in early September, or even mid September. That seems way, way too early, but perhaps in central Europe they use earlier varieties because it is a cooler continental climate and maybe you have earlier frosts. I don't know. Maybe ours is planted later so it is harvested later. The corn around here wasn't drilled until mid May and sprouted a week or two later, so it has grown 5 feet in the past 5 weeks. Maybe it's planted earlier in central Europe and harvested earlier than ours. I guess there is lots of different variables.
The earliest I have heard of corn being chopped anywhere in the UK is late September, but the forage Maize I grow in, which is for animal food, is usually chopped even later in mid-late October. Sometimes early November, depending on the weather. The longer you're in the field though, the more likelyhood of being caught. So in and out quick, in the space of 8 weeks, which is why it helps to start them a few weeks before plant out.
Now, planting too early when the corn is small can be very dangerous. Don't even think about planting in May, or June even. Firstly there is little cover to hide your plants and cages/mesh, and you will also stick out like a saw thumb going to your spot as there is no cover. Unless you do it at night. Even then you risk your plants getting spotted still in the daytime, or the cages reflecting light. You'll be surprised how many people walk through the cornfields with their dogs when the shoots are coming up, or when they're a foot or two high, trampling them. But people rarely venture into the corn when it starts getting taller, because of the natural barriers it creates. It's annoying to move through. The same concept applies to the deer in the area. They won't go in there much once it gets to a certain height, say 4 foot, because it is hard to navigate and move through. I would still cage your plants though, just to be sure. Mine were nibbled in the cornfield through their cages in September last year. So if you're putting up cages, you need the corn to be a few feet tall at least to conceal them.
The other problem (and this is a big problem) is anytime from April - July the farmer might have the field sprayed with roundup to stop other weeds growing and competing with the corn. This is usually applied once at plant out, say in early May, and again 6 weeks later around mid June, but this can vary year on year, and fields can be sprayed as late as mid July sometimes, so you've got to be careful. If your plants are in the field and they get sprayed with that weed killer, they are toast.
The only way you can be safe about this for sure, is to wait until the corn is a good 4-5 foot high as the farmer won't be able to drive through that with his machine at that height without damaging the corn, so he won't. If the corn is 2-3 feet high, he can still drive through to spray it. At 4 feet it becomes near impossible without badly damaging the corn. Remember that. Down my way, that means waiting until early July at least. Just to be safe. Although this year my field wasn't even sprayed, not once, so I would have maybe got away with planting in June. But that would have been a big risk as the corn was only just sprouting in late May/early June this year, so it has grown 5 feet in 5 weeks. In previous years, my field has usually been sprayed in early May and a second time in late June, but nearby fields were sprayed in early July two years ago. So again, it makes sense to wait until the first/second week of July before planting, just in case. Better safe than sorry.
Also make sure you dig a big hole and remove the original soil so none of that skanky, chemically, poor quality soil is getting into your plant. I usually dig a bigger hole than required and put in more soil/compost/manure than I need just to be safe. That way the plant isn't tapping into the cornfield soil which is dry, barren, not very fertile and possibly chemical ridden. This year I have also used water retaining compost with water crystals as it has been so bloody dry and because the corn sucks up all the moisture from the surrounding soil. Therefore your plants may require hand watering if it's dry, particularly in August.
Whatever you do, don't damage the corn when you walk through it as well or you'll create a path to your plants. Or a damaged area that has been walked through which might catch someones attention. Night visits will cause you to damage more corn as you won't see where you are walking, but once the corn gets over 6-7ft it is stronger and less likely to get toppled over.
Also, I have never heard of corn being chopped in early September, or even mid September. That seems way, way too early, but perhaps in central Europe they use earlier varieties because it is a cooler continental climate and maybe you have earlier frosts. I don't know. Maybe ours is planted later so it is harvested later. The corn around here wasn't drilled until mid May and sprouted a week or two later, so it has grown 5 feet in the past 5 weeks. Maybe it's planted earlier in central Europe and harvested earlier than ours. I guess there is lots of different variables.
The earliest I have heard of corn being chopped anywhere in the UK is late September, but the forage Maize I grow in, which is for animal food, is usually chopped even later in mid-late October. Sometimes early November, depending on the weather. The longer you're in the field though, the more likelyhood of being caught. So in and out quick, in the space of 8 weeks, which is why it helps to start them a few weeks before plant out.
