growing sweet corn

[wvdennis8]

I planted sweet corn about 2 months ago, and the stocks are about 6 feet tall but there are no ears on any of the plants, I planted around 100 plants.

[YvonneM]

The top of the plant is the male flower and the female flower is much lower down on the stalk have another look they have a tassel at the end and this must go black before you harvest not brown really dark

[Clanad]

It takes 12 to 15 weeks for the corn ears to be ready for harvest. The tassles on top of the stalk, as referenced by YvonneM come on somewhat before that and the ends of th 'silk' on each ear after the onset of the tassles. The best way to test for harvest readiness is to peel back a little of the husks covering the corn ear and see if the cob is filled with kernels. If it is, puncture one of the kernels with your fingernail. The fluid coming out should be milky white, not clear. IAP's is correct, but this can be mitigated by taking a bucket of really cold water with you to the field and placing each ear in it (don't husk them however) and return to your kitchen as quickly as possible. Clean the ears still in the husk with cold running water to remove dirt and bugs and place in the fridge. Keep them as cold as possible without freezing and they'll be good for about 5 days. We like to pull back the husks, clean of the silk strands (there's one for each kernel), saok them in cold water for a few minutes, place a couple of pats of butter around the ear and tie up the husks again with buthcer's string and place directly on the barbeque grill. Turn occasionally for about 15 to 20 minutes... Superb!...

[whiffey]

Absolutely what IAP said !!

I grew sweetcorn one year, and did what was suggested, cut a cob and transferred it immediately to a ready boiling saucepan, totally gorgeous.

Enjoy your cobs when they come along.

[maggie01]

I had a job which only lasted a few days picking and packing sweetcorn. I love the stuff in a tin but can't bear it on the cob. Think I saw so much of it, it put me off.

[YvonneM]

I'm the opposite Maggie Fresh everytime cooked in slightly salted boiling water unitl the corn turns bright yellow and then covered in lots of real butter. I am going to check see if any of my cobs are ready yet

[WendyS]

When you say you have no ears on the stalks, I presume you mean actual cobs containing the corn. Did you plant them in rows or blocks. I've ready sweet corn is always supposed to be planted in block with plants quite close together so that the wind helps to cross fertilise them. I would expect small cobs to be starting to appear by now as they're normally harvested in September. The dry weather (presume you're here in the UK) may be a cause of failure, or possibly there isn't enough compost or manure in the soil. Try to keep the soil moist from now on and keep your fingers crossed. It will be very disappointing if you don't get a result from so many plants.

[YvonneM]

Hi Wendy do you think sometimes we are talking to ourselves as dennis seems to have disappeared Where is this flower show

[WendyS]

Yvonne - he's probably out in his veggie plot inspecting his sweetcorn to see whether any of the cobs have started to develop yet !