[Kim]

Hello all , just wondering when to pick my sweetcorn i have 9 plants growing 3 of which have 2 cobs  :lol:this  i understand to be quite unusual the rest have just the one but all looking good . NOW how can i be sure they are ready they look about the size you would buy in a shop and their sticky up hairy bits on the top are now turning brown the leaves are very tight bit scared of damaging them trying to take a look !!!! The butter is ready and waiting  :?

[hermon]

the tassles should turn brown and if you gently peel away the outer husk and peirce one of the nuggets it should be creamy and not hard.

[John]

When the cobs are fairly big and the tassels on the cobs have gone brown they are probably ready. Peel back the leaves around a cob and stick your fingernail in - if a milky liquid comes it is ready.

Then return home and boil the water - back to the plot and pick the cob then run (don't walk) back with the cob.

This year looks good for me with sweetcorn - but not anywhere near harvest yet.

[GrannieAnnie]

My sweetcorn are getting their male flowrs, but they are only about 3 foot high as yet.  The ones I planted lastyear (late) were nearly 6 foot.

[Oliver]

My sweetcorn  ...

I wonder if they are going to get any sweetcorn at all this year! The stalks are 5foot high, there are some 'male' flowers but some have no cobs at all, and a few are just beginning to develop some. It can only be because it has been so dry, unless the seed is completely duff!

[John]

Sweetcorn do need a lot of water - ideal conditions for sweetcorn are plenty of nitrogen, sun, warmth and water.  When I say a lot of water - it's amazing how dry things are - I mean a lot. How to do this with a hosepipe ban? Bucket chain?  Major problem.

[hermon]

i can see the top part of the tassles are brown but should they be brown inside the leaf covering the actual cob? i don't think they are ready but i left some last year and i left them for too long! :?

[Oliver]

hosepipe ban? Bucket chain?

Last year the corn was fantastic so she knows she can grow it, but it was cooler last year!
They do the bucket thing to fill the water butt, but obviously not enough of the water goes on the corn.  So, more water is required ... and even longer arms.  Thanks John.
Oliver

[GrannieAnnie]

I've been ehlping OH put in a new bathroom for his old family friends and we've been renovating a kitchen for my friend on a zero budget, so plot has been a bit neglected this past couple of weeks.

Anyway, weeded the sweetcorn yesterday, and noticed that a lot of the stalks have got little stalks growing ruund them.  Anyone know why they do this?  A few did it last year, but none of them produced any cobs, so this year I've removed them to try to get more water into the original stalk.  Am also giving them more water!!!!!

[Oliver]

Anyone know why they do this? ...I've removed them to try to get more water into the original stalk

Some varieties just do (they are a grass, after all!) She also removes them, especially now with the water problem ....! :?