May 15 is a critical date for me as a gardener in Eaton County, Michigan.
May 15 is my target date for planting my "winter cabbage" and my ornamental corn.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEF642BoTmhYnRApBKPWQMlpJoAQM3gP6UeA9NapwbvXvjXuzeHqdxmkv2jC8OZyQcmeesrPBHyHt-QSyg2f8ojYIgqz5llRgSMDyZ3HkPBcenNK4_cPbC9eSvfW_v2LRQdD25SuOmJA/s320-rw/20210515_130618+%25282%2529.jpg) |
One of the nice things about ornamental corn is you can save your own seeds and create a blend that you like.
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Corwin Davis, a market gardener from Bellevue Michigan once advised me that the corn that sold like hot-cakes had twice as much yellow as white, twice as much white as red and twice as much red as blue.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqH_KD_BiSjwVf71TLs7Z9H_21kYtue3cm351P08T96uFky1t9BaZS0TpoPvcw93j94wrVIypkUIToboZ9S2O-4eWz2h5zQcVxrwl-Ps3n_v_CzeuTdY8xRFVmBaytKA6DZG6e2YHvw/s320-rw/20210515_130629+%25282%2529.jpg) |
The striped pattern on the kernels of the left-most ear is striking and the ear on the right seemed almost like translucent glass when first harvested.
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTn0df7pyQIy10fZTD7woZHrzUy-ptqym5JLCg7W_RtHX_2QmNXpqQunNQqe3jbBNp_G4kp7fHKukygHbfbhgOJ9f2ioZ9HImthTi0bBZ8fEwCB5T-niZr0W9EOYGTovimrDOVrMhtlA/s320-rw/20210515_130634+%25282%2529.jpg) |
The ear on the left was enormous.
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpSSfzJBW3BmiWZ6T4zs7Y2XZcuEbfnmi9vxpVRSawQiYiB6mHtf6OKhiDE2Ef8FX-bgE08FTHiy-pFlsWhkQfkm-SBaW4RCBbFmGG6DlGmTeJNmhU0OywBES8ZbAcwLGVTqUf7dmag/s320-rw/20210515_130656+%25282%2529.jpg) |
A close-up of one of the ears. The kernels remind me of the candy-corn we got at Halloween.
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyz2EuSXDzg8pOiFbGWj0i-3vM0IPcnzybIII4N3vGShdaZVoNerR_OW8U8LlVafGMdENWwhl_6_MEoew9I0nN0xEXREC2Pcl3PForIJQ-3LAF3_aZwan3pNRHtjUm93lqXEWG7BTaA/s320-rw/20210515_131901+%25282%2529.jpg) |
Hmmm! A big miss on the 65% yellow, 20% white, 10% red and 5% blue.
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFaQLKO1tPGeLfrG8jHnLfYEZDyY7A649vlkZtMAq0LlafkDwY_d8Vyzs5dpPK-eok1e7HNEd_t0D2OaR1YRAy72kKRXvr-Wi_dpfT8uhllXap13CEM9DrLI_wZ6yjRajpP1-2_6FBw/s320-rw/20210515_133106.jpg) |
From a different angle. These are the tip-ends. One notable thing is that all of my seed sources (except the enormous ear, third from left) filled out to the tip very, very well.
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Five, 60' rows of corn
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Oh, and I did get the Deadon cabbage seeds planted today.
Is that corn eatable? I see Johnny's is out of that cabbage. You must be a trend setter. --ken
ReplyDeleteI have eaten it. It makes fine corn-bread and cornmeal mush. As roasters, they are chewy and filling...but not sweet.
DeleteERJ left you a proof note on Retribution. You no doubt missed it because I was trying to be clever
ReplyDeleteThank-you, sir.
DeleteI saw that on my phone earlier. You know the drill. Work a few hours, cup of coffee. Work a few hours, coffee and a quick bite to eat. Work a few hours.... Sit in the recliner. Wake up after dark.
Thanks for the correction.
Very nice, and we don't see much 'ornamental' corn down this way.
ReplyDeleteIt is a niche product, to be sure. Normal corn is about maximizing production per acre. Ornamental corn is about a pretty ear of corn and maximizing size per cob. That means the ornamental corn gets planted at a lot fewer plants per acre. Also, I don't know of any clones that are Round-up Ready or have the GM disease and insect resistance packages.
DeleteI do it because it is fun. I never know what I am going to get.