SweetCorn?

[Bexy]

How on earth do you know when its ready ??????

[Kleftiwallah]

After the tassles have turned brown, carefully peel back the covering and insert a fingernail into a kernal, if milky (or sometimes clear) liquid emerges, then the're ready. If no liquid emerges then carefully recover the cob and try again in a few days.

Cheers, Tony.

[Bigmallly]

Or in my case, wait till the magpies or mice strip the outer leaves. Then you know they are ready..........

[leonmc0708]

The tassles should brown and resemble human hair.

Once that happens - carefully peel back the leaves on one and stick yer nail in;
1) clear liquid - not ready
2) milky liquid - ready
3) no liquid - too late

Thats all from various bits of advice I have had off allotment holders on our site - an amalgamation and some testing. I ate some that where too soon and htey tasted rubbish and left some too long and they where dried out mess.

Take a little cooker or fire pit to the plot with you and eat them within 10 minutes of takign them off the plantt - taste is un real.

[Kaiya]

Also, I was surprised but for my sweetcorn the liquid was yellow. Which confused me as I was expecting clear or milky, not milky yellow! That might be a variety thing.

Badgers got some of my neighbour's. That prompted me to harvest all of mine that were ready and blanch and freeze them all (they taste very almost as good cooked from frozen - very pleased!)

[kathyd]

I've had real problems getting my timing right too Bexy. I left several until they were just too far gone - when you split a kernel it oozes a thickish pasty substace, and the cobs are starchy and not nice. I've also pulled too many leaves too far down to see how they're going, and various insects then get in and munch on them. So now if they ooze clear liquid I leave them and check daily, and pick as soon as the liquid is even a tiny bit 'milky' (or at least not clear any more). And the last few have been fab!

[Florence Fennel]

"I wish I liked sweetcorn" is a joke between my daughter and I It seems to be in so many things these days that I avoid because I don't like it. My eldest granddaughter however, loves it and so I intend to grow some for her next year. Glad there will be plenty of advice to be had on here!

[Alison]

My sweetcorn actually looks pretty good this year after a very slow start - pity it is in fact the food of the devil and absolutely disgusting. Even the smell of it cooking (by OH) makes me have to leave the kitchen but at least it's not as bad as the tinned stuff, even thinking about that is making me heave!

[Bexy]

My tassles have been eaten on most of mine and the otter leaves are still stuck fast how do i know now

[Two_Sheds]

you stick your fingernail in a kernel and look at the juice. Milky is ready

[horticultural_hobbit]

Have some seeds to try next year. Plot neighbours have some and have done really well with them. Make me smile when I see them.

[WendyC]

My sweetcorn actually looks pretty good this year after a very slow start - pity it is in fact the food of the devil and absolutely disgusting. Even the smell of it cooking (by OH) makes me have to leave the kitchen but at least it's not as bad as the tinned stuff, even thinking about that is making me heave!

Baked beans have a similar effect on me. Hate it when others have left tin/ saucepan to rinse out. Hideous! I do like sweetcorn though!

[Feral007]

Planning to grow some this season, so will be looking for information on them. Dad used to grow them but I never have.

[Paulottie]

Here we know its ready when the badgers flatten and steal it all....Have 200 plants behind electric fence. Now eating second batch...yummy

[chris]

Mine only grew knee height this year, but harvested about 20 cobs yesterday.

All the tassles had been eaten by earwigs so I had partially pollinated cobs. Still, a few good ones. FF - It's amazing home grown, so much different to shop bought types.