The sweetest corn of all is one picked from your own garden. Why? Because corn has natural sugar in it and as soon as it’s picked off the plant, the sugar starts turning into starch (which isn’t sweet).
The best way to grow sweet corn is from seed sown straight into the garden. Here’s how…
Tip:
Its better to plant corn in a grid rather than a single row. This makes it easier for the plants to swap pollen from the tassels at the top of the plant to the silks below. Without enough pollen the cob will be gappy, with grains missing.
It's important not to pick too early or too late. In the final growth stage, the silks turn dark brown and dry out as the cob begins to ripen. Also, the cob will start to angle away from the stalk. When pricked, ripe kernels will produce a milky white substance. If the fluid is clear, it’s not ready; if no fluid runs at all, it’s past maturity and likely inedible.
Sweet corn seedlings ready to plant from punnets
Transfer of pollen from tassles to silks will result in succulent corn cobs.