Small Corn Experiment

So I planted a small plot of corn seeds on March 17th. The seeds were a mixture of early flour/flint type corn and sweet corn varieties that were grown last year (see the corn project tab). Unfortunately I did not keep track of the total number of seeds planted but I think it was around 50. A few rows of sweet type kernels and the rest flour/flint. I just did a count of the plants that have sprouted. 21 sprouts looks alive and 7 sprouts appear to have been killed by frost. There may be as many as 22+ non-sprouters out there. It looks like there are at least four sprouters from the rows that I remember planting sweet kernels. I think the results are interesting so far and last night may have been the last light frost (fingers and toes crossed!). I hope I will be saving seed from these 21 plants so that I can develop some frost tolerant corn varieties. Probably better to wait till May to plant corn but then what would I do in March and April? The average temperature since planting has been 48.7F according to the nearest weather station which is just to the southwest but at an elevation 61ft above us. The highest temperature has been 71F and the lowest 32F. I'm thinking some years everything may get wiped out by a harder frost if I keep a March 17th planting date but it seems like a cool spring overall thus far.

Front yard potatoes

It was time to get rid of the weeds in the front yard.

Someday when I win the lotto I think a cast iron fence would look nice.

mmmm taters....

Asian pear blossom

March Notes

March 5th - planted 19+ selections of fava beans
March 6th - planted peas and favas - carrot, radish, and beet roots for seed - also a few chick peas
March 12th - planted potatoes (Leksands Vit, All Red, Peruvian Purple, and Granola)
March 13th - more potatoes
March 14th - tomato and pepper seeds planted inside
March 16th - eggplant
March 17th - planted some corn (soil temp 57 - air temp 54 - normal hill 50 - 5PM)
March 19th - (soil temp 56 - air temp 55 - normal hill 54 - 3:30PM)
March 25th - huge planting of onions, carrots, beets, lettuce, swiss chard, sputnik arugula, krauss parsley, magenta spreen, and transylvanian sorrel - with lilies and other flower bulbs.
End of March - planted some sunchokes, more potatoes, radishes (25th?), and Green Beauty peas(25th?).

I really need to take better notes.