Sweetcorn

[Millymollymandy]

I've got about 7 coming up from my final (4th) sowing, and these seem to have germinated in the cold frame during the really cold wet spell we just had with daytime highs as low as 13C. *shrugs shoulders* (extra smilies not working yet again )

[Odsox]

I decided that I'm a right idiot last week
I have the centre bed of my polytunnel planted up with various squash and for the life of me I can't understand why I didn't think of planting up with sweetcorn as well (at least 2 sisters).
Although it's a bit late, I worked out that there should just be time to plant some. It took 2 days and 4 garden centres to find one with some seed left, which I finally planted on Saturday and although it's warm I put them in a propagator. Well this morning (Tuesday) 13 of them are up and I'm sure the rest will be tomorrow.
I estimate that I should harvest them about the end of September/early October, which should be fine in the polytunnel but would be a bit iffy outside.
Then it will be a case of what to do with all that corn as I already have 30 plants in the garden (looking well and about a foot high now), plus I've just sown 39 more. At least it freezes well.

[Millymollymandy]

Do you freeze it on the cob? Then how do you cook it? I just wonder because any packaged sweetcorn I've ever had either non-frozen vacuum packed or frozen was just disgusting mush when cooked.

[Odsox]

Do you freeze it on the cob?

No, I don't like it on the cob ... I get bits between my front teeth and butter in my beard !
We always take the kernels off the cob to freeze, then they are like tinned corn, only better.

[Millymollymandy]

Aha - now quite how do you do that? I tried it the only year I had too much corn but found that a curved knife would have done the job a lot better than a straight one!

[Odsox]

Aha - now quite how do you do that? I tried it the only year I had too much corn but found that a curved knife would have done the job a lot better than a straight one!

Smile , I told you last year how I do it MMM ... http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 7&start=30
Easy peasy when you get the hang of it.

[Millymollymandy]

Aha - now quite how do you do that? I tried it the only year I had too much corn but found that a curved knife would have done the job a lot better than a straight one!

Smile , I told you last year how I do it MMM ... http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 7&start=30
Easy peasy when you get the hang of it.

I blame that Chadspad for starting new sweetcorn threads very year - I do have the feeling that I am repeating myself quite a lot on this forum when we are discusssing particular veg. Anyway, thanks and as I said last year

Brilliant, thank you! The only time I had some spare to freeze I just cut the raw kernels off but as knives are straight and cobs are round, I got a lot of cut in half kernels!

I didn't get any to spare last year so yet to try your method out!

[Muscroj]

mine are looking pathetic anyway, I doubt they'll even get near pollunation stage, we've had far too much rain & not enough sun since I planted them, so it won't really matter how far or close together I've planted them!! Oh well there's always next year I suppose!
!

well, just goes to show, it aint over til the fat lady sings. My sweetcorn put on a massive boost this month, I nearly lost them all when the high winds flattened them, but despite a very poor start & weeks of them looking like they were going to give up, the stems are starting to fatten up & they've got 'tassels' poking out so it looks like I'm going to be picking sweetcorn afterall in a few weeks. How do I know when they're ready to harvest?

[Derry]

ive just been for a wander up the garden, and i think the sweetcorn are starting to ...corn. i presume theres a proper word =D

theyre only about 2ft tall atm, and 3 or 4 are starting to get flowery bits.. ill put a photo up for a visual =] does this mean that theyre going to be short sweetcorns? or is it too late in the year to even think about getting a harvest?!

oh, theres also a resident stinkbug.. i think its one anyway.. good or bad?

pic:

[Odsox]

If the "flowery bits" are coming out from the top, they are the male flowers.
Female flowers come from side shoots fairly near the base of the plant, normally two but sometimes more.
The male flowers tend to appear first, so that means you will soon see the females and then about a month to 6 weeks later they should be ready to eat.

edit ... just seen the pic and they are the male flowers.

[Millymollymandy]

I don't think that stinkbugs are a problem, there are so many different species and I always leave well alone. We have some amazingingly coloured ones in France like red and yellow stripy ones which seem to like my dill. General consensus in my French gardening magazine is that they don't do any harm. Except when your cat tries to eat one, then it's quite funny!

[Derry]

If the "flowery bits" are coming out from the top, they are the male flowers.
Female flowers come from side shoots fairly near the base of the plant, normally two but sometimes more.
The male flowers tend to appear first, so that means you will soon see the females and then about a month to 6 weeks later they should be ready to eat.

edit ... just seen the pic and they are the male flowers.

so is it the male flowers that become sweetcorns? *is clueless*

[Odsox]

so is it the male flowers that become sweetcorns? *is clueless*

Umm, didn't your Mum tell you about the birds and the bees

The male flowers at the top pollinate the female flowers further down the plant, who then produces the sweetcorn (on a cob)
The corn kernels that you eat are immature maize seeds.
AFAIK seeds are only produced by females.

[Derry]

so is it the male flowers that become sweetcorns? *is clueless*

Umm, didn't your Mum tell you about the birds and the bees

The male flowers at the top pollinate the female flowers further down the plant, who then produces the sweetcorn (on a cob)
The corn kernels that you eat are immature maize seeds.
AFAIK seeds are only produced by females.

nah, school did that.
i was confused by the female flowers being lower down.. cause the cob grows at the top..

[Muscroj]

nope, the cob grows where the female flowers are. You'll see the stems fattening up as it starts to swell.
I was confuddled by the 'flower' at the top to begin with too, thought it was a developing cob, but it aint