How's your sweetcorn doing?

[valmarg]

No need to stake sweetcorn!! Mine have been flattened by the high windswe have had latele!!

[Sunbeam]

My 2 sweetcorn plants are only approx 2 feet high & only one has ONE cob on it - I had planted about 5 but only these two survived - bugger really as I had another 6 plants which I gave to a friend (whose Irish wolfhound decided to eat them...)

Where did I go wrong (aside from giving away the other 6 plants!!)

[Helenclare]

I too am in my first year of growing sweetcorn and put them in far too early as I had impatiently sown them far too early....we were very lucky with the weather and conseqently have already harvested 15 brilliant , tender super sweetcorn, the best I've ever tasted. Mine were Applause and Swift and I will be growing them again next year. Rock solid , healthy plants, have had no tlc or extra watering. I did cover the ground in a thick layer of compost being given away free by the council when I planted them out....I am so happy, as some one said earlier it makes all that digging worthwhile!!

Helen

[JennieAtkinson]

The tassel on one of mine has gone brown and I have peeled back (very carefully) the leaves and given the corn a squeeze (see I've been reading the instructions on how to harvest ) and a light liquid squirted out. But ....... the corn seems very white. I'm loathe to pull back any more leaves, but it really is a good size, like one you would buy in the shops. As I only have four cobs I am nervous about cutting it too early.

The BIG question - how do you know the corn is yellow inside and ready for cutting ??

[lyndap]

The corn Iv'e grown in previous years(differant types),looks pale cream until you blanch or cook it.If you press a kernal and clear liquid oozes out its not ready.If when you squeeze a milky liquid comes out,its ready.If when squeezed a thick liquid comes out,you have left it to long!!!!As long as you gently ease leaves back, and fold them back over the corn when you have checked it,it will be ok.

[JennieAtkinson]

Thanks Lyndap - will have another look tomorrow.

[raine]

hi, i'm new to all this but i planted some sweetcorn that a kind neighbour gave me (think they took pity on seeing two obvious newbies sweating over their bramble plot!)The sweetcorn is about 4foot high now and has obvious corms (or whatever they're called) but my problem is that my book (told you I'm new to all this) says that if the tassels are brown then they should be ready but when i look the corn is still white. What should I do, oh experienced allotmenteers?
Raine

[leona]

ive got the same prob coz surely the heat could make the tassles die back?

[JennieAtkinson]

Harvested my first cob tonight - oooooooooooh absolutely delicious.

One of the most exciting things I have ever grown. Got another three to go yet but will certainly be doing more next year. They have been growing in the polytunnel, and certainly don't think they would grow outside, but will make a space for them next year.

Thank you for the threads we have had about sweetcorns, as I would never have thought about growing them. It was the day after a discussion as to whether they would grow this far north, that I went into the local plant shop and there were two sitting on the desk, so I grabbed them.

[bramble]

Am delighted for you Jennie. Have never been interested in growing them myself but after reading all the threads about them for the past couple of weeks i will definitely try them next year.

[raine]

More probs on the sweetcorn front! Some of the corms seem to have loads of tiny black beetly things inside which seem to be munching on MY sweetcorn. Can I do anything about it and what are the little blighters anyway? Whats more how come they've picked on my tiny patch when ive only just managed to wrest it back from the bramble infested square that is the rest of my new allotment?

Raine

[Limbury Lad]

Just picked and cooked our first sweetcorn.So delicious and all grown from seed.They are reaching about 5ft+ what a great feeling.