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  • From: "Peg Cook" <pegcook AT northnet.org>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Organic sweet corn (fwd)
  • Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 07:01:32 -0400


Klaas & Mary
I was glad to see your posting, Klaas!!! I am up in northern NYS and do a
lot of soil testing for certified Organic Growers. I am very happy to see
your posting because what you are doing is going from the soil "basics" and
now you are fine-tuning your management. I have pushed and pushed for a lot
of years that insects will NOT attack healthy plants. Obivously, what you
are saying here, is proof that this is so!!!

One question I have for you is, Have you ever used liquid seaweed as a seed
treatment? I have heard of other Organic Growers using it in the past with
great success. When I planted beans (in my garden), I used and had
beautiful beans (and I have always hated picking beans!!!). Do you plant a
cover crop after you harvest your sweet corn? Also, do you shred the stalks
in the Fall or plow them under?

Good to see you on the list!

Peg Cook
Cook's Consulting
RD #2, Box 13
Lowville, NY. 13367

pegcook AT northnet.org

----- Original Message -----
From: Lawrence F. London, Jr. <london AT metalab.unc.edu>
To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2000 10:07 PM
Subject: Organic sweet corn (fwd)


>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 18 May 00 20:49:22 -0500
> From: kandmhfarm AT sprintmail.com
> To: sanet-mg AT cals.ncsu.edu
> Subject: Organic sweet corn
>
> We wish to comment on the discussion about growing organic sweet corn.
>
> Growing top quality, insect free organic sweet corn CAN be done. The
> product produced can actually be better than conventional. We grew 70
> acres of OCIA certified organic processing sweet corn last year - all SH2
> varieties, and grew 25 acres of sweet corn the year before.
>
> Growing organic sweet corn CAN NOT be done successfully using 'organic by
> neglect' or 'input substitution' approaches. We plow down large amounts
> of green manure cover crop - primarily red clover - and the straw from
> the previous year's wheat or spelt crop. Organic soil amendments as
> required according to soil test are applied to the cover crop the
> previous season. A balanced organic starter fertilizer is applied at
> planting. Weed control is accomplished by cultural control methods,
> supplemented with blind cultivation and then two passes with the
> cultivator. Weed control is excellent. Last year, in a severe
> Northeast drought, we saw no insect damage and averaged about 5.2
> tons/acre. Much of the conventional sweet corn in the area was
> abandoned, due to poor kernel set, low quality and very low yield (are
> you paying attention, Mr. Avery? ).
>
> Healthy crops do not appear to attract bugs. Research at Ohio State
> University by Dr. Larry Phelan showed that European corn borers, given a
> choice between organic and conventional corn plants, would avoid the
> organic plants. His research is continuing to test two hypotheses for
> these observations. He feels that the organic soils, with a rich
> microbial population, may release plant nutrients more evenly over the
> season, resulting in slower, sturdier plant growth that is more resistant
> to insect attack. He also believes that the mineral balance of the soil
> and the plant plays a key role in insect resistance. In either case, the
> levels of complex molecules and water content in the plant tissue
> probably determines how tasty the plant is to an insect. Our
> observations suggest that excessive or unbalanced potassium levels in the
> soil attract insects in most crops.
>
> The first year we were talked into a Trichogramma wasp release to control
> worms, and the extension agent had to really search for one measly egg
> mass that had been parasitized. The wasps must have starved or gone next
> door to the conventional field corn that did show egg masses and worms,
> right across the fence. We did avoid the highest populations of ear worm
> flights by selecting an optimum planting time, based on historical
> records, but we're not sure that this was necessary.
>
> The processor of our sweet corn has told us that he has actually received
> letters, complimenting the quality of the sweet corn. From our own
> experience, there is no doubt there is a difference in flavor. The
> drought conventional corn last year lacked both sweetness and corn
> flavor, while the organic sweet corn tasted just as it should. This
> probably partly is because the higher soil organic matter held water
> until the end of the drought. The organic corn showed little damage from
> drought stress other than the yield was slightly down compared to a good
> year.
>
> In previous years, we had participated in Cornell replicated trials with
> the biological seed protectant, T22, on sweet corn. This Trichoderma
> fungal product colonizes the root zone of the growing seedling, and in a
> wet year, this may give valuable protection to untreated seed. In one
> very wet year, we did see a 30% yield increase where this product had
> been used as a seed treatment. There is also evidence that T22 can make
> nutrients more available to the plant. This product would be worth
> considering when planting sweet corn, especially SH2 varieties, early
> into wet cold soil.
>
> Hope this information helps someone out there. Klaas and Mary-Howell
> Martens
>
>
>
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  • Organic sweet corn (fwd), Lawrence F. London, Jr., 05/18/2000
    • <Possible follow-up(s)>
    • Re: Organic sweet corn (fwd), Peg Cook, 05/19/2000

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