[Wild Willow]

Hi,

I'm growing sweet corn and it is looking really good.  I know how to 'test' the corn to see if it's ready to harvest but what I'm wondering is roughly when I can expect to harvest it?  It currently doesn't look ready; the tassels are mostly brown but I've checked one of the cobs and it only has little, flat kernels.  I haven't pulled the leaves back too far though.  Anyway, roughly when can I expect them to be ready?  Now?  September?  October?  Help!

[JayG]

You may be looking at the wrong part of the cob - the top end rarely gets fully pollinated - about half way down is the best place to look, although you will need to use your fingernails or even a sharp knife to carefully make an opening large enough for the "kernel squish test."

2-3 weeks from pollination is about how long it should take, although obviously the amount of sun and ambient temperatures affect exactly how long.

[seaside]

Apart from the finger nail thing, browned off silks is a bit of a subjective judgement. It's usually 2 or 3 degrees cooler on the coast down here than some inland Southern parts, so checking my diary tells me this year it was 30 days from the silks first showing to the first ripe cob.
There is the fret of leaving them too long on the plant so as they lose some of the sweetness, but there are a few days when the finger nail test is satisfied, but the kernels still have 3 or 4 days to swell a lot more without any taste loss. It's very easy to pick a week too soon.
If I were growing a large field crop, it would be quite an easy average judgement when to harvest, but when one only has say 20 to 100 plants for fresh home consumption, it is tempting to try and string out the harvest, by picking some early and some late. It's an experience thing. Fresh sweet corn on my allotment is definitely THE glut crop .. more so than tomatoes.

[Sue33]

I've checked mine today and they're still not quite there, maybe another week 

[LeeR]

We've just had our first sweetcorn about ten minutes ago.  My oldest (7 yo) said it's very yummy 

[pigguns]

I had my first ever yesterday, and yes it is different! Really nice so deffo on the plan for next year, the rest don't look quite as ready- this one was from the centre of my planting block so first pollinated? but I've found most of the tops are infested with woodlice and ants (I chopped that bit off).  Didn't know that was an issue.  How do I prevent that next year?

[Kate and her Ducks]

Woodlice and ants! You should be so lucky!

Mine are just starting to come up to being ready and the local badgers (we think) seem to have taken a liking as they have been efficiently pushed over and the cobs pulled from their husks and neatly eaten!

[vanessa.xx]

Mmm we've had about 18 so far, not eaten them all myself friends and family have had the pleasure too, but still easily have about 30 to go Mmm Mmm where's the butter 

[mumofstig]

I only know that I left some of mine too long  - or maybe I didn't water them enough.

The first few were sweet and good eating............but by the time I picked the last few the fingernail test found them fairly dry 

Oh well! Roll on next year .........................................................

[Goosegirl]

Just started harvesting my Swift from the greenhouse - yummy!!

[Headgardener22]

Even slightly under-ripe they taste better than the stuff from the supermarket.

One thing to think about is how many have you got? For perfectly sensible reasons, I planted lots of sweetcorn this year but the reason moved away for work, so now we've got lots of sweetcorn to eat and process. We're starting early!

[Growster...]

Woodlice and ants! You should be so lucky!

Mine are just starting to come up to being ready and the local badgers (we think) seem to have taken a liking as they have been efficiently pushed over and the cobs pulled from their husks and neatly eaten!

Exactly what's happened here, Kate!

Our cobs haven't been taken yet, but several other plotters have theirs all over the place!

Mrs G and I put tank traps up this morning...

[JayG]

My first Swift cob - looking well filled, picked 10 minutes ago - will be cooked very shortly, and eaten to the accompaniment of some salt, pepper, butter and some very unbecoming yum-yum noises from YT hopefully! 

[New shoot]

That's OK    Oranutangs are well known for their abiding love of homegrown sweetcorn and cannot be expected to have perfect table manners whilst devouring the first cob of the season    

[vanessa.xx]

My first Swift cob - looking well filled, picked 10 minutes ago - will be cooked very shortly, and eaten to the accompaniment of some salt, pepper, butter and some very unbecoming yum-yum noises from YT hopefully! 

My daughter actually told me off, because every mouthful I ate I made a Mmm noise I didn't even realise