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  • From: "Jeffery Blake" <echoecho AT bedford.heartland.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Sweet corn pickin was Re: website
  • Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 11:52:30 -0600


Oh yes. i forgot to say the wheel barrow Idea sounds good. Seems like it
would be top heavy. I might try it. sometimes my grounds alittle rough
after cultivating
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeffery Blake" <echoecho AT bedford.heartland.net>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2001 11:40 AM
Subject: Re: Sweet corn pickin was Re: website


> I so glad to have the opportunity to talk to you. Not many people around
> here have experince raising sweet corn on any volume. I appreciate all
your
> comments. I come to the same conclusion last year about the lay out of
your
> fields. I hadn't thought about the every six row spayer alley. What do
you
> spray with? Why do you think it necessary to grow tall corn? Coons? I
> like the short because its easy to drive over. I spray seven or pounce
with
> my regular field spayer and get along well with a short corn. Coons
weren't
> a problem for me last year because I had a good Pyreenes close by. This
>
> year I'm planting down on our river bottom. there is alot of timber and
> brusy down there. I'm hoping an electric fence will keep the coons down
to
> a minimum. My buyer almost mandates a bicolor sugar enhanced variety like
> ambrosia. What little roadside standing I've experinced seems to validate
> his insistence. any thoughts. I tried some tendertreet last year. very
> tall corn. it come off the stalk very hard and I couldn't even sell much
of
> it. everybody around here wants bicolor. What do you think of my cart
idea?
> several of us growers thought about getting together this year and sharing
> labor I thought a cart might speed things up and labor won't cost us
> anything if we share. I hope you don't mind these million questions.
> Thanks
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "robert schuler" <sunnfarm AT bellatlantic.net>
> To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
> Sent: Friday, February 09, 2001 11:22 AM
> Subject: Re: Sweet corn pickin was Re: website
>
>
> > Hello Jeffery, at my peak I used to hand pick up to 40 acres by myself
> starting at
> > 3am and deliver it to market by 10am, I have tried every imaginable
method
> short of a
> > machine picker which is probably the best only because its fast.
> > For 20 years I picked into burlap potato bags using an 8" stick 1.5"
thick
> as a handle
> > around the top edge of the bag, it held the bag open, I carried it along
a
> double row
> > picking with one hand 54 ears per bag, they were easy to water down to
> keep cool
> > Later I joined a corn coop and had to pick into crates, for hydro
cooling
> , I took a
> > wheelbarrow removed the pan and build a wood frame to support a crate at
> waist height
> > that was easy to push down the row and fill with two hands.
> > Today I have two roadside stands and I use the same wheelbarrow frame to
> carry those
> > new type orange plastic bushel baskets, each holds 36 large ears 48
small
> ears this is
> > by far the easiest way I have found to pick by myself.
> > I plant 40" rows ,6 rows then a sprayer alley that is also used for
moving
> corn and
> > laying irrigation pipe, rows generally are 800 ft long some 1000 ft some
> 600 ft, a
> > high yield is very important as well as planting varieties that grow
tall
> and ears
> > that snap easy will make your jobs alot easier...
> > Sunny Meadow Farm
> > Bridgeton, NJ.
> >
> > Jeffery Blake wrote:
> >
> > > This is a topic that interests me as well. There are some Amish that
> grow
> > > for my wholesaler. They use a sled that fits between the rows and one
> mule.
> > > They dump the sled at the end of the row and have the kids load it on
a
> > > wagon.
> > >
> > > For a one man operation I don't use any thing to carry it in. Keep
your
> > > rows farily short. I carry it in my left arm and pick with my right.
I
> > > pick 25 ears at once and carry it back to the wagon. I think it is
much
> > > more work wrestling around baskes etc.
> > >
> > > For those bigger jobs,I think I will rig up a picking cart this year.
I
> > > have an old manure
> > > spreader (well cleaned of course), that I will pull behind the
tractor.
> I'm
> > > going to weld a bar with a seat on it on each side of the spreader so
> two
> > > or three people can sit, pick and toss it in the spreader. The rows
> between
> > > the tires concern me. I haven't decided if I can extend the spreader
> > > tounge, so the corn pops back up from under the tractor before it goes
> under
> > > the spreader. It will take some fiddlin'. I might be able to use a
> forecart
> > > on the spreader and an extension off the lift arms of the tractor.
I'm
> not
> > > sure. Using a 3point hitch means using the big tractor and I would
> rather
> > > use my old Farmall, it has higher clearance. Another alternative
would
> be
> > > to weld a seat to the front end loader for the middle rows, that might
> work
> > > well. I plant Ambrosia which is short enough to drive over all season
> long
> > > with out hurting anything. I doubt if tractor picking would work with
> some
> > > of the taller varieties. I'd sure love to see other peoples
suggestions
> > > too. Getting that corn picked is a chore.
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Bob Meyer" <rhmeyer1 AT facstaff.wisc.edu>
> > > To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
> > > Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 4:24 PM
> > > Subject: Re: website
> > >
> > > > Anyone wanting really, specific information, just drop me a line.
> I've
> > > > worked with the project from the start. Our funding all comes from
> non-ag
> > > > sources at the moment (the CDC's National Institute for Occupational
> > >
> > > Safety
> > > > and Health). We should be adding additional tip sheets later this
> spring
> > > > to both the vegetable growers and berry growers pages.
> > > >
> > > > One question that came to me from a small-scale sweet corn grower
the
> > > other
> > > > day relates to any decent tool, or technique for harvesting
> (one-person
> > > > crew) and carrying sweet corn. Does anyone have a tool or technique
> to
> > > > share? Mostly it seems folks are carrying bags or bushels into the
> field
> > > > and filling and carrying them as they go.
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > ---
> > > You are currently subscribed to market-farming as:
> sunnfarm AT bellatlantic.net
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> leave-permaculture AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
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> >
> >
> > ---
> > You are currently subscribed to market-farming as:
> echoecho AT bedford.heartland.net
> > To unsubscribe send a blank email to
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>
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to market-farming as:
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> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
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