How do we grow the sweet corn of our dreams—full, juicy, and oh-so-delicious? It’s disheartening when there are gaps left in our cobs’ kernels. Corn needs to be planted properly for optimal pollination. Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest sweet corn in thegarden.
About SweetCorn
Sweet corn is a tender, warm-season annual crop that produces ears of yellow, white, or bi-colored kernels. Native to the Americas, sweet corn has been cultivated for thousands of years; it’s famous asoneof the Three Sisters—corn, beans, and squash—grown by NativeAmericans.
A long, frost-free growing season (60 to 100 frost-free days) is necessary to grow and harvest corn. Don’t be tempted to sow too early though. Mid to late spring is just fine, once any chance of frosts are longgone.
And corn is a grass! A member of the Poaceae family, corn relies on wind to pollinate its flowers, not bees or insects. This is why weplant corn in blocks of short rowsinstead oflong,singlerows.
Types of SweetCorn
For a continuous supply of sweet corn, plant early, mid-season, and late varieties or plant every 2 or 3 weeks.
Have you ever had the intensely disappointing experience of tucking into a juicy-looking sweet corn cob only to find it tastes bland? This is the number one reason why paying a little bit more for your seeds really pays dividends. Hybrid or F1 varieties of sweet corn may cost a bit more but they’re worth every penny, yielding cobs with a superior flavor, especially if you pick one of the supersweet types. Varieties bred for sweetness hold their taste for longer too, but the sooner you cook them after picking, thebetter.
Learn more about the different varieties of cornbelow.
