[littlelisa]

An allotment neighbour told me I must wait til my sweetcorn tassels have withered before picking. How withered? Some are looking partially brown (like a just baked cookie :-) ) I WANT SWEETCORN!!!! (I'm impatient here, can you tell??) Or should I wait til they're convincingly brown? Is that sufficient to know when to harvest?

[jennyb]

they'll go brown and crispy,  kind of dead looking i guess you could say



i'm impatiently waiting for the huge field at my local PYO to grow and ripen

[Aunt Sally]

Milk chocolate brown tassels.

When you burst a corn kernel with your finger nail the liquid should be like milk - not water or cream but milk.  Perfect

[littlelisa]

Thanks Jenny!!!! Any idea how long they take to get there from when they start turning lightly brown?
Lisa the Wildly Impatient

[Aunt Sally]

I think that one has gone to far jennyb.   :!:

The cobs should still be green not dead like your one, a lot of the sugar will have turned to starch  

[jennyb]

really? - i was alway told they were ready when the tassels were brown

or do you mean the husks/leaves in which case i must admit i didn't take note of them when posting the photo.

but when i pick, the leaves a still soft and green and the tassels brown

Edit:  on looking at the photo again, i see what you mean aunt sally

[littlelisa]

Thanks Auntie Sal!!

[Aunt Sally]

The husks should be green and the tassels a nice chocolate brown.  Peel the top down an bit and test a kernel as I described above.

[gobs]

I think that one has gone to far jennyb.   :!:

The cobs should still be green not dead like your one, a lot of the sugar will have turned to starch  

I would think so too, that's an over-ripe cob, still edible, mind, but nicer a bit younger.