"Growing Sweet Corn"

Corn or maize crops have been grown since early times, but the sweetcorn vegetable we grow today has only been grown commercially since around the middle of the twentieth century.

It's a sunny crop that requires light and sunshine to fully develop. When you choose your variety it's best to stick to one type unless you have lots of space.

Cross pollination problems can occur if the different varieties are planted less than 250ft apart. Choose a variety that grows well in your region, and produces lots of fat sweet cobs!

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Thompson and Morgan supply several different varieties, including a min-version! Growing sweet corn in the UK and the US link for Thompson and Morgan: Sweet corn in the US For all other countries start here on their homepage and choose your country.

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Planting: Choose a bright sunny spot in the garden and remember your plants will grow tall, so it's best to plant on the edge of a bed so they don't overshadow any smaller growing vegetables. Dig over the ground and, if you have some, dig in some compost or well rotted manure. Make sure the ground is well drained.

Corn plants won't tolerate waterlogged ground. The roots rot very quickly.

In a moderate climate, you can start seed in small pots in the greenhouse or conservatory. Make sure they have plenty of light but are kept warm. Use degradeable pots so you don't disturb the roots when transplanting out in the garden. Thompson and Morgan have a 'potter' tool so you can make your own :-)

Making pots in the UK and the US link for Thompson and Morgan: Making pots in the US For all other countries start here on their homepage and choose your country.

Plant 2 or 3 seeds in each pot in the greenhouse and keep the pots moist and warm. When the plants come up, take out the weaker plant and let the other develop. If this seems too extravagant, you can put one seed in each pot, but there will invariably be a few that don't germinate.

After all possibility of a late frost has passed, and the ground has warmed up a little, plant out in the garden. Check on your regions recommendation times for planting on your seed packet. Choose a sunny non-windy spot to get the most production from your plants.

Sweet corn must be planted in a block rather than lines. The plants are pollinated through the air, so a line of plants won't all get pollinated so easily. Plant in blocks of 3 by 3 plants or 6 by 6 - depending on the space and number of plants you are growing.

Water in well, and keep weed free. It is a good idea to stake them at the time of planting out in case of strong winds later in the year. They can be supported by tying gently and firmly with natural twine to protect them from getting damaged in strong winds.

If you are planting the seed directly into the garden, sow a couple of seeds at every point, allowing about 40-50 cm growing space - again check on your seed packet for the correct spacing for your variety.

Caring for sweet corn As long as the plants are protected from the wind and kept well watered, but not waterlogged, your plants should grow happily on its own and look delightful in the garden.

When the cobs are fat, pull back the outer leaves and gently press a kernel - if a milky fluid is released the cob is ready to eat. Cobs don't last too long at this stage, and ideally should be eaten as fresh as possible. To stagger your harvesting period, you could try growing small blocks of corn every couple of weeks, but this only really works if you have a reasonably long summer. Start a few early and then plant some directly outside as soon as the weather permits - this could save all your cobs being ready to eat at once.

When all the cobs have been eaten from a plant, pull it up and compost or burn.

You can find more about sweet corn and even a few recipe ideas in my book recently published with Findhorn Press. Grow Your Own Pharmacy You really can grow enough fruit and veg to keep your family glowing with good health!

Happy Gardening!

More "Sweet corn" reading

http://www.flower-and-garden-tips.com/corn.html