Sweet Corn – a Taste of Summer

One of life’s great pleasures is picking Sweet Corn, cooking it and then eating it with gusto.  You know summer has arrived when you are savoring Sweet Corn lathered in butter and sprinkled with salt…….Oh yea!

If you want some, get it in the ground now.    I sow four separate plantings of Sweet Corn in a year to get a continuous supply for months.  The first of September is batch one, followed by three more sowings a month apart.

Sweet Corn - some EASY Rules!

Sweet corn requires rich soil with plenty of nitrogen and moisture. Even good garden soils may need some fertiliser to produce a top-quality crop. Aged manure and/or compost, mixed well into the soil, will do the trick. Growing corn in an area that had healthy beans or peas the previous year is a good thing to do because these legumes contribute more nitrogen to the soil. Cornstalks growing with ample moisture and in well-prepared, fertile soil can be expected to produce two ears per stalk and reach 2 meters in height.

Sow two or three seeds 30-35 cm apart, in rows 30-36 cm apart.  Sow the 3-4 cm deep.  Because corn is wind-pollinated, plant it in blocks rather than in a long single row, which would result in poor pollen distribution on the silks.   I plant 15 plants in a space 1.2 m x 1 m.  You can buy plants if you prefer but make sure they are young, growing lushly and not stressed in then punnet.

  

Three reasons for a poor Sweet Corn crop!

Lack of water is number one. Water it well after planting or sowing. Good soil moisture is critical for the germination. As plants grow and weather becomes warmer, watering frequency must increase.

I soak seeds overnight before planting.

Lack of nutrients is number two. Fertilise when plants are 30-40cm high with a high nitrogen fertiliser. Keep soil moist because it is critical for plants to form tassels and silks and to develop ears. Ears should be ready to harvest about 3 weeks after silk emergence. Harvest sweet corn when kernels are well-filled, tightly packed and when a thumbnail puncture produces a milky substance.

Mixing varieties.  Don’t make the mistake of mixing varieties.  Pollination with other types can result in tough, starchy kernels and they are rather tasteless.

Peat pot seedling after 10 days. Ready to plant!

So that's it.  Now get on with it!  Plant your Sweet Corn.

Oh yeah, I can taste them right now.