Growing Sweet Corn

Most homeowners wait patiently for their first taste of home-grown corn on the cob. Sweet corn is one of the most desirable garden vegetables which is why so many different varieties are available through seed catalogues. Though sweet corn is a warm-season crop (heat-loving), it can be grown very successfully in this area. Here are a few hints to help ensure crop success:

Do not plant corn into a cold (less than 17 C -63 F) wet soil. These conditions favour the growth of fungi which can rapidly rot the seed. Ensure the seed is fungicide-treated if planting into cool soils.

Soaking seeds in water for about 4 hours may speed up germination. If you soak your seeds, you must plant them in warm moist soil; dry soil will inhibit germination. More simply, plant dry seeds and water thoroughly.

Plant corn in a square or block pattern rather than in long, thin rows. Corn is wind-pollinated, and square planting patterns result in greater pollination. A minimum of 100 plants in a block is suggested for optimum pollination. Missing kernels in a corn cob are an indication of poor pollination.

Do not remove the tassels at the top of the plant; the tassels constitute the male portion of the plant which supplies the pollen. The fine, yellow dust (pollen) shed by the tassels falls onto the silk of the cob, which is the female portion of the plant.

Each silk thread is attached to a kernel. If no pollen falls onto the silk, no kernel will form. Shaking the plants when the pollen is being shed can help increase pollination.

Since corn is wind-pollinated, cross-pollination can occur if different types or colours (yellow, white or bi-coloured) are planted close to each other. In order to ensure maximum quality, keep each type (normal sweet corn, sugar-enhanced and super-sweet) well isolated from each other - preferably by at least 30.5 m (100 feet) apart.

It is also essential to keep popping corn, ornamental corn, and field corn well isolated from sweet corn varieties. If cross-pollination does occur, sugar levels, colour, popping quality and other characteristics will not be as anticipated.

To avoid isolation, different types of corn can be planted close together as long as their maturity dates have a difference of at least 7 days. This way, when one variety is shedding pollen, the other variety will not be receptive to pollen.

 The best time to harvest is known as the “milk stage” when the ears are fully formed but not yet ripe. This stage usually lasts about a week. You can determine when your corn is ready to harvest by looking at the silks, husks, and kernels.

The silks should be brown and starting to dry, which occurs about 3 weeks after the silks first appear. They husks should hold tightly to the ear and the kernels should produce a little milky fluid when pierced. Supersweets will produce a clearer liquid. Each stalk of corn should yield at least one ear, and sometimes more.

You should harvest your corn in the cooler hours of the morning. Remove the ears of corn by twisting them at the base and pulling them off. After harvest, you can remove the cornstalks and use them as compost.

As soon as the cobs are harvested, the sugars in the kernels quickly convert to starches. This produces a less sweet product. To ensure maximum sweetness, cobs should be immersed in ice cold water as soon as possible after picking, and left in the water until eaten.

Shade from hot sun as much as possible. Many homeowners take pails of water and ice out to the garden when harvesting corn. Try it - it's well worth the effort.

After cooling, place your corn in plastic bags with a few small holes punched in them, and then in the refrigerator for storage. Depending on the variety, it is best to eat your corn within a few days after harvest.

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