Steps for cultivating sweet corn
Readyto savor the freshest, juiciest sweetcorn you've ever tasted? With its vibrant, leafy structure and easy-going nature, sweetcorn is just the seed you need for a successful home garden. Plant these statuesque wonders pride of place in your borders or use them as a lush, productive screen to separate areas of your vegetable plot.
Growing Sweet Golden Delights
Sow sweetcorn seeds in small containers or modules in late spring, allowing each seed its own pot to avoid root disturbance. When all danger of frost has passed, transplant the seedlings into rich, moist soil in a sunny location. Sweetcorn is wind-pollinated, so plant in blocks rather than rows. Keep plants hydrated and mulch around the base to lock moisture into the soil.
Be on the lookout for signs that the cobs are ready to harvest: the silky tassels turn brown, and pressing a kernel with your thumbnail will result in a milky liquid. Gently twist the cobs to remove them from the main stem, and consume as soon as possible for the sweetest taste.
Sowing and Planting Out
Average Yield:6-9 cobs per sq m
Choose a warm, sunny, and sheltered spot for your sweetcorn. Preferably, you should have enriched the soil the previous autumn with plenty of well-rotted compost. In April or May, sow seeds in pots filled with high-quality compost and leave them to germinate on a warm, sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse.
Once all risk of frost has passed, harden off the young plants by putting them outdoors for several days to help them adjust to outdoor conditions. Plant out your sweetcorn seedlings in a large block (4x4 or 5x5) in a sunny, sheltered spot, spacing plants at least 45cm apart. Consider teaming up sweetcorn with courgettes, which share similar growing conditions.
Spacing:45 apart45 between rows
Tips and Tricks
Water plants regularly, especially during dry spells. Build up soil around the stem bases of plants to secure them in windy weather. Protect your sweetcorn from pests like mice, birds, and slugs. Sweetcorn has shallow roots that can easily be damaged by hoeing.
Depth:1
Supersweet varieties should be grown separately to maintain their taste. To avoid cross-pollination, plant only one variety at a time on your veggie plot or allotment.
Flavorful Varieties to Grow
- Bodacious: Early maturing Supersweet variety with good cold soil tolerance.
- Lark: Tendersweet variety for extraordinary sweetness and softer kernels.
- Mirai Bicolor: Unique bicolor variety with attractive white and yellow kernels.
- Rising Sun: Delicious, reliable Supersweet variety even in poor summers.
- Swift: Early-maturing, tender Supersweet variety suitable for cold soil.
Enrich your garden with these incredible sweetcorn varieties, and get ready to experience mouthwatering, homegrown perfection! For a video guide on growing and planting sweetcorn, check out Monty Don's step-by-step instructions here.
Happy gardening, and may your sweetcorn be the talk of the town! 🌽🌽🌽
- For a vibrant home-and-garden addition, consider growing sweetcorn, a crop that can thrive in the home garden, providing delicious culinary benefits and enhancing the lifestyle with its statuesque wonders.
- As part of a balanced home-and-garden strategy, combine sweetcorn with crops like courgettes, as they share similar growing conditions, creating a harmonious, productive home-and-garden lifestyle.
