by Pauline Young

Created on: January 20, 2010

Sweet corn is an excellent crop for the home gardener and although it does take up some room you can plant crops such as lettuce between rows to utilize the space. It is a warm season crop and dislikes wind and frost. It will grow happily in soil that has previously hosted legumes such as peas or beans. Failing this, you should prepare the soil by adding well rotted manure, a few weeks before planting. The seeds are planted at a depth of 5 cm with 30cm spacing between plants and 60 cm between rows. it is important to plant in blocks rather than a single long row to facilitate pollination. If you plant too closely you expose your crop to the risk of fungal diseases such  as mildew and and also reduce the rate of pollination.It is important to keep the soil moist and weed free by mulching.

Seeds take 6-10 days to germinate and it is usually possible to start harvesting 12-14 weeks after planting. For a family of four you will need about 18-20 plants.

Corn is susceptible to many pests including corn earworm, aphids and the usual slugs and snails. Earworms can be picked off by hand but you will need to make a garlic spray to control aphids. This is done by chopping 100gm of garlic, covering with vegetable oil leaving it to soak overnight. The mixture is then strained and one litre of soapy water added and stored in a glass jar. By diluting 1 part of this mixture to 10 parts of water you create a spray that is effective against thrips and aphids and not harmful to beneficial insects in your garden.

To ensure a bumper crop, you will need to keep your corn watered and fed with a liquid fertilizer every four weeks. It is important to avoid watering the corn tassels after pollination.

Corn should be ready to pick when the cobs feel firm and stand at an angle of about 30degrees from the stalk and the tassels have turned brown. By pulling down some of the husk and pressing your thumbnail into one of the seeds, a juice will exude. If the cob is ripe to pick, the juice will be creamy. If it is clear, leave for another week before testing again.

If you have a bumper crop, excess cobs can simply be placed, silk, husks and all into a labelled, dated freezer bag. There is no need to blanch and immerse in chilled water. They are most delicious when picked and freshly grilled on a hot barbecue.

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