[New shoot]

No no    Perfectly normal that 

Its actually not a bad plan given the overnight temperatures at the moment 

[mumofstig]

Unusual for humans, agreed, but acceptable for  orangutan I should think 

[mrswashi]

Tosca100
Your corn looks amazing.
I decided to have a peep at one of mine today which has the brownest silks - only just turning though.
It looks like yours does at the very far right of your photo - those small cream coloured balls.
Hopefully they are on the way! I'm away for two weeks soon.
It's a race against time 
Mrswashi

[tosca100]

As I have never grown it before I peeked too early too, mainly because the neighbour had harvested her's and I wanted to catch it before mine went tough, but was very good and left it alone after that. It helps that it is out of sight.

[Ma Lowe]

I am not a lover of sweetcorn but grow it for Pa as he likes it. We checked two of the cobs today and they were ready so there was a mad dash to put the water on the boil. I boiled them for about 6 mins and then served them up with some butter. Not wanting Pa to have all he corn to himself I decided to have a little taste. WOW!! It was so lovely I ate the whole cob . I don't know what corn I had tasted previously but this was the best. That jolly green giant can jolly well get lost now 

[tosca100]

Nothing like shop bought is it?

[cadalot]

Last year I sowed half a bed and after tasting home grown I had orders from my youngest daughter to grow a whole beds worth this year and apparently they are all hers! but she is willing to share 

[Goosegirl]

Mine are nearly ready according to the silks, so what window do I have before they have gone over?

[JayG]

I don't think the appearance of the silks is a good indicator of ripeness (they will go brown even if unfertilised.)

The fingernail test of a kernel mentioned earlier in this thread is a much surer check - how long a ripe cob will stay at its best depends largely on the weather, but I'd guess at about a week (luckily they don't all ripen at once!)

[beesrus]

As someone else has muted, I also go for a fortnight after the silks have gone "crispy". I actually tried the first of the season the other day, probably a week before I thought they would be ready, as I usually wait a good week after the milk squidge test is working. Sadly, I was somewhat disappointed in the corn.
I'm hoping they just need another week, but I may be disappointed this year. I usually grow Incredible and they are always exceptionally full, yellow and "corny" tasting ... not like the one I tasted this week.  Although the cob was big enough, the kernels were pasty looking, smallish and definitely not very corn like. Pollination was near 100% and it was sweet enough, but that isn't everything. I'm assuming it was a Sundance, as my other corns this year are Golden Bantam, and I know from past years those too are very tasty, yellow and full like Tosca's picture. Has anyone any past taste experience of Sundance ?

[Baldy]

I've never actually managed to transport any cobs home from the plot - they just get devoured straight off the plant whilst I vaguely consider weeding space for overwintering onions or whatnot. Maybe this year...

Cheers,
Balders

[snowdrops]

I've never actually managed to transport any cobs home from the plot - they just get devoured straight off the plant whilst I vaguely consider weeding space for overwintering onions or whatnot. Maybe this year...

Cheers,
Balders

Do you eat them raw then?

[JayG]

Although the cob was big enough, the kernels were pasty looking, smallish and definitely not very corn like. Pollination was near 100% and it was sweet enough, but that isn't everything. I'm assuming it was a Sundance, as my other corns this year are Golden Bantam, and I know from past years those too are very tasty, yellow and full like Tosca's picture. Has anyone any past taste experience of Sundance ?

I grew Sundance about 8 years ago - it was a poor summer and also the one where the penny finally dropped that sandy soils like mine need a lot more work on fertility than others to get good crops  . As a result the growth and yield were poor, but what I did get was pretty good IIRC.

Isolation of sweet corn to avoid unwanted crosses is a topic I can never quite get my head around, but I believe that Sundance and Bantam are both 'SU' types so should be OK grown together - is it possible that some or all of them have been cross-pollinated by other types being grown nearby?

[rosiecider]

Wow  Tosca100 my mouth is watering

[crh75]

This should have been my best year for sweetcorn.  The plants look fantastic and the crop I have had so far are brilliant.  Lots of the plants have three corns which is great.  Then something came along and has eaten them.  I have never seem this before, the outer leaves of the cobs have been shredded and the corn eaten.  I think it might have been crows!