Sweetcorn

[Peter Pie Eater]

I planted some sweetcorn seeds a few weeks back and most of them have germinated and I have some wonderful seedlings in modules. Can anyone point me to some growing advice. Does anyone know when I can expect to harvest them. I've heard that fresh sweetcorn, thrown straight on the barbecue after picking is fantastic, but will it still be barbecue season when they're ripe?

[jlottie]

What variety are your growing Peter ? There are early mid and late varieties a bit like spuds

I've got some Swift seedlings in the longest root trainers and will be planting out late April in a block. I will be growing sunflowers in amongst them as the sweetcorn help support them and they grow at roughly the same rate - and they look pretty good too

[peterjf]

most corn is grown in pots until about 9-10 " high then planted out in a block we do 6 rows of 8 each plant seperated from the next plant by a foot ,

harvest when the tassles are almost black or by checking that the yellow corns have appeared, water once a week then 3-4 days after feed

[realfood]

Plant out in June in a sunny, sheltered position, when all danger of frost is past in your area. In Northern areas, I would recommend continuing to provide cloche protection for the first month or so, to counter the effects of late frosts or cold winds.



As they are wind pollinated, rather than by bees, remember to plant them out in blocks, say 4 plants x 4 plants, with the individual plants being about 35 cm apart. This enables the wind to better carry the pollen from the tops of the plants, the male part, down to the female “silks or tassels”.



You can check if the sweet corn is ready to pick when the female tassels shrivel and turn dark brown. Then gently pull back the protective green sheath and squeeze the kernels at the end of the cob with your finger nail. They are ready when a thick cream oozes out, rather than a milky liquid.

[babyfazt09]

Sweetcorn is high in iron and potassium that helps in stabilizing blood sugar level. It is also a good source of folate that degenerates as well as fights free radicals in the retina.