Every year I drive past the same fields, most have various animals and crop rotations going on, but three fields adjacent to the road are always planted up with strips of polythene glistening in the sunshine !
Think the farmer must have run out of polythene this year as usually the fields are completely covered. I've been dying to take a closer look ... a couple of weeks after the polythene is planted, sweetcorn appears ! I'm fascinated with how the sweetcorn grows - how does it get water, what's the purpose of the polythene, why does it stay in place all season !
Well puzzle no more readers, for I know the answers !!!
The polythene makes a TENT - the edges are ploughed into the soil and the sweetcorn happily germinates beneath it. I'm amazed at how close the seeds are sown - they are only an inch apart and each row is about a foot apart. Now here is the magic bit ! the polythene is PERFORATED !!! how cool is that. The corn grows through the perforations !!
I so should have got a close up LOL - maybe then you'd be as excited as I am.
Anyway I will be planting my sweetcorn very closely this season based on what I've seen.
Fundraising update - I've now raised over £1,000 !! It is quite incredible - thank you so much to everyone who has supported me xx
Thanks for clearing that up. I drive past there most days on the way to Huddersfield and have wondered what they were growing. In fact I have never been able to tell if it was polythene or fleece on the fields and have never gone slow enough to have a proper look.
ReplyDeleteI've seen that sort of polythene too and often wondered how/what. Good to have it cleared up. Mind you, if they have to go to those lengths to grow sweetcorn in the UK, you have to wonder whether the game is worth the candle! Arr, it be agin nature!!!
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