Chitting sweetcorn

I grew sweetcorn at the allotment last year but only about 20% of the seeds germinated. I've read that chitting the seeds before you plant them can help, but don't know how to do it. Anyone out there know?
Thanks all.

 

Beanie, to be honest I`ve never heard of chitting sweetcorn. You chit potatoes but sweetcorn, as far as I am aware, is sown in pots as any other large seed.

 

You've all let me down so I've been googling again and have found the answer:

http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden_month/garden-april.php

I heard about chitting seeds when I was trying to find out why my crop was such a disaster last year. Germinating them before planting ensures you're only planting successes. I'm going to give it a go this year.
Thanks all. X

 

If you plant in pots in the greenhouse in a propagator you dont get that many bad ones anyway.
Most of the rotted seed is due to cold sowing conditions I reckon.
When I used to grow sweetcorn I always started it in the greenhouse and never planted out until late May, so I would say its a bit early yet.
I would only bother chitting seed if I was then going to direct sow once its showing a root, I've done that with runner beans in the past.

 

That reminds me, I wanted some S/C plants for the borders this year, thankyou

 

Funnily enough my sweetcorn planted under cover late January is doing well, my march sown seed has yet to appear?