[purplebean]

I haven't grown sweetcorn before, actually I am growing baby corn rather than big ones. They are now all 4 or 5 feet tall and look strong and healthy but I can see no sign of any corn. Is this normal? and this may be a silly question but where should I be looking for signs of corn. I am assuming in a leaf axel as I can't see where else they could grow from

[sunshineband]

They should grow from the leaf axil and start just as a slightly thickened part, same colour as the stem 

Mostly you would have two, or maybe three per plant, and they are near the middle of the stem not the top

[Salmo]

Top of the stem should be male flowerhead producing lots of pollen. Further down should be female flowers which swell into sweetcorn as their flowers turn brown.

[paintedlady]

If I'm not mistaken, I'm sure you harvest baby sweetcorn BEFORE the male flowers open and pollinate the cobs ... ?

[mumofstig]

You pick them before they swell, but they don't appear until after the male tassel has appeared at the top

[sunshineband]

Our baby corn was pollinated and turned into big cobs  which are mediocre in flavour 

[Salmo]

You probably need to start a new topic headed "When to harvest baby sweetcorn?" as nobody who has read this has ever grown it.

[Nikkithefoot]

Sweetcorn should be grown in blocks as it is wind pollinated. Once the male floewrs show at the top you should see the female parts developing in the leaf axils. I suppose they look a little 'sausage' like. Over time they (if pollinated) will swell. Once the silk tassels coming out the end of the 'sausages' the cobs should be ready. You can peel back a few leaves and dig a nail in a kernel, if the juice is milky then pick and eat, if it is clear then leave a little longer. Earwigs in the cobs are a good indicator they are ready as is evidence of mice nibbling. They never bother with under ripe corn!!

[Salmo]

Done a bit of google as I was curious to know.

T&M site quote

Sweetcorn : Minor F1 (Mini Vegetable) 1 packet
…tiny corn cobs for Chinese cooking and casseroles. Harvest the delicious tiny, tasty sweetcorn cobs of Sweetcorn Minor fresh from your garden - so much tastier than the tinned variety. The baby corn of Sweetcorn Minor are harvested before pollination just as the 'silk tassels' begin to show.

Therefore logically you really want to avoid germination. That would mean that you can grow them in a single row or even single plants. I wonder if you should also cut off the male flowers to stop pollination?

[mumofstig]

I agree pollination is not required..............as I said above Salmo

You pick them before they swell, but they don't appear until after the male tassel has appeared at the top

But that is the order in which corn seems to grow, that you don't see the cobs start to show until the tassel appears at the top 

[DandG]

Tried to grow the mini pop variety last year, well spaced single row rather than block to prevent pollination but couldnt grow without them getting pollinated - as a result lots of the kernals swelled and tasted/looked awful.  Dont know if pollen was from our plant or the forests of corn on other plots blowing over.  This year grown Incredible F1 and it lives up to its name, now harvesting the 4th plant with loads still to go - lovely juicy and sweet, just not sure the butter is doing any good though.

[prakash_mib]

bit off topic
I had slight a bit of problem of testing when to pick sweet corn. A week ago I pulled the shell and reached one of the corn and squeezed to see clear liquid. I left it and yesterday when I visited the same cob again there was a BIG grub eating it. All in all what I did was made an easy way by opening the shell for the grub.
Bad experience.
P.S.
pulled it off and called my OH to put a pan of water and went home to cook it immediately and had a nice corn on cob yesterday. first time ever!!!!

[Kristen]

I grow mini corn for the kids. I break off the male flower when it forms - not so much to prevent pollination, but to prevent the pollen interfering with my "normal" corn. As such it can be grown in a row, or block, whatever space suits you best.

The cobs have to be picked very small. Its an art (that we definitely have NOT perfected) to get them at the stage where, once peeled, they will be big enough to eat but before they are too big. There is probably 2, maybe 3, days between just right and too big

My DW has the complete, 100%, answer though (as usual!)

"Why are you trying to grow Mini corn? the kids will just as happily eat normal corn, and the rest of us will only eat normal corn, stop wasting your time / space on Mini-corn".

So that's the solution for next year!