How to grow your own sweetcorn
Sweetcorn is a lovely vegetable to grow. It gives great structure to any garden. Many varieties grow as high as 6ft tall, and are useful for screening off parts of the garden. They like to be grown in a warm sunny spot, but need to be sheltered from the wind.
Seeds can be sown indoors, and then planted out or they can be sown direct into the soil in growing position. Because Sweetcorn relies on the wind for pollination, it is best to plant them close together in a block, rather than in a single line.
We planted two lots of Sweetcorn, along a south-facing fence. Some were sown direct in a single line, and some were planted in a group of 5.
Sweetcorn has to be sown in relatively warm soil, so if you decide to plant the corn straight into the ground, just make sure that the soil is warm by placing a cloche over the area for a few days. Sew the seed directly into the ground approximately 4cm (1.5in) deep, and 45cm (18in) apart. Place 3 seeds in each planting position, as corn has a tendency not to germinate, if all 3 germinate, just pull out the weakest and let the strongest plant grow. If you have sown the seeds indoors, they are ready to plant out when the seedling is 8cm (3in) tall. Place them outside in their pots in the daytime and bring them in at nighttime, to harden the plant off. Once the risk of frost has passed you can then plant them out in growing position.
Once the plants are growing, keep the roots weed free at all times, and water only when they begin to flower. Once the cobs have started to fatten up, water them again. Because the corn plants are quite tall, and the cobs could be quite heavy, it may be necessary to stake the plants to give them extra support.
Silks will appear at the leaf joints, along the stem of the plant, this is where the cobs will grow. Once the silks have dried and turned brown, it is time to test the cob to see if it ready. Simply pull back a few leaves from around the cob, and press one of the kernels. A ripe cob should produce a milky juice. If yours is still clear and watery, then it is not ready yet, just wrap the cob back up and leave for another few days. If the cob is too starchy, then they are over ripe. Corn on the cob should be eaten straight away, if they are left too long, the sugars turn to starch and it begins to lose its sweetness.
When things go wrong….
The only major factor is wildlife really. Mice love Sweetcorn, and often dig up the planted seeds before they have even had chance to germinate. This is why it is best to plant 3 seeds per hole; you have more chance of at least one seed being left by the mice! Once the corn on the cob has grown, birds, squirrels and mice often nibble at the cobs. Netting could be placed over the crop to stop this, but we all know that those darned mice can get anywhere!
Corn on the cob can be eaten in many ways. It can be boiled, steamed or grilled. Barbequed corn on the cob is delicious when wrapped in foil with a knob of butter. Corn can be preserved in many ways, but this has to be done immediately, to retain its colour and sweetness. Sweetcorn can be frozen, canned or pickled.
|
Sweetcorn
