corn

Sowing the Seed
In early to mid May I will sow one seed in a each pot of compost indoors. I will make a hole about 2cm below the surface with a pencil and drop the seeds in, before gently ruffling the surface to cover them with the compost.

Planting Out
One all chances of frost are over they may be hardened of by putting them outside during warmer days and brought in on colder nights. Then they may be planted out into their final resting place, perhaps with the courgettes and cucumbers.

corn

Favourites
Favourites
I was very happy with Jubilee produced by Mr Fothergills which I picked off the stand in a garden centre. They were fantastic. However, Golden Jubilee had a disappointing flavour the year before last. I tried Mr Fothergill’s Incredible last year which were tasty, although they were an F1 hybrid. Once I find one that is not I will save the seed, hopefully in perpetuity. Golden Bantam, an organic variety, was spindly and ineffectual. Was it my fault or the weather? I don’t know. Double, another organic variety, was not a success. When planting more than one variety it is important to plant them well away from each other for if cross pollination occurs, the crop will be ruined

corn

Protecting the crop
My sister in law remembers that when she lived in Denver, the raccoons fed on the corn grown by her friends. This led me to assume that it is squirrels which are the enemy on the allotment, although I have never seen them feasting on the cobs. It could, however , be magpies that are the culprits, one of my neighbours at the allotment said he has seen them gorging themselves. Either way it is a good idea to protect them by throwing netting over the top, which seems to work.

corn

Harvesting
A surefire way of telling when the corn is ready is when the squirrels and/or magpies have eaten them. If you want to avoid the trauma of finding the fruits of your labour decimated, its best to net them.When the tassels shrivel and the cobs are golden it is worth testing to see if they are ready to eat. I do this by pulling back the outer layer and pressing a thumbnail into a kernel. It is ripe if a milky juice comes out.

Perfect Companions
The Three Sisters were corn, beans and squash, but the principle works just as well with courgettes or cucumbers since they are the same family as Squash: concurbits. The corn provides a climbing stalk for the beans; the beans provide nitrogen to the soil to nourish the corn; and the large leaves of the concurbit, spread out, helping to preserve the moisture in the soil by stopping it evaporating so readily, and preventing weeds from growing to compete with the corn and beans. They are the perfect companions, for one spreads horizontally while the others vertically, and the beans will use the corn stalk for support without impeding the growth and formation of the husks of corn.

corn

From the New World
Early English settlers in the seventeenth century were given not only food, but were shown the method of cultivation by the native Americans. For example it is doubtful if puritans in Plymouth, (now situated in Massachusetts) would have survived if they had not been helped in this way by the Wapanoag ( meaning people of the dawn ie east).

**Sweetcorn: Planting Guide**
Sow inside in pots:	Early to Mid May
Depth:	2cm
Plant out:	June
Between Plants:	45cm
Between Rows:	45cm
Harvest:	August/Sept
Dig This:	Plant inside first in pots
	Plant out in June after frost danger over protect with cloche at first
	Plant with courgettes
	test when silks whither/go brown
	squeeze grain if milky liquid then ready
Good Companions	courgettes beans
Dislike	sunflowers
Varieties I like	still searching

Cooking
When I harvest it I will get it into the pan as quickly as I can. It is not a myth that they taste better if you do this. I think the reason is to do with a lot of the sugar converting to starch once the cob is separated from the stalk.

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