EDIBLE GARDEN
HAZEL SILLVER’S Yes, you really can grow sweetcorn! Per fect for tasty cobs to go with your BBQs this summer
Barbecued corn on the cob, dripping with butter, is heaven on a summer’s day! And this sweet vegetable is twice as delicious when home-grown.
Sweetcorn is easy to cultivate in mild regions, and in cold areas, it can be grown in a greenhouse, or outside if we have a hot summer. Should the weather turn chilly, causing a poor crop, it is still wor th growing for its tall, lush foliage that looks wonder fully exotic – and provides a windbreak.
The trick to success is planting outside at the right moment. Early June is usually right in the south, but watch the weather like a hawk, and wait a week if cold nights are forecast. Har vest is 10-12 weeks after planting, which means fresh corn on the cob in August and September.
Loathing the cold, corn must be sown under cover, ideally in May, but it can still be sown in early June. After 1-2 weeks, 15cm seedlings are transferred into individual pots then, after 1-2 weeks, planted out. Alternatively, buy ready-grown plants from garden centres.
In the vegetable patch, a light, free-draining soil, full of organic matter such as compost is ideal. Plant
40cm apar t, in at least two rows. Having two shor t rows together is better than one long row because corn is pollinated by the wind and growing in close proximity aids this natural process.
Water in well, and keep the soil moist as the corn grows, especially in hot weather, as the root system is shallow. If cold nights are forecast, the young plants can be protected by gently wrapping hor ticultural fleece around them.
In cold areas, grow in well-drained pots in a greenhouse. Your only maintenance is to water regularly. Once they flower, replicate the wind to pollinate them: do this by ruffling them every day for 1-2 weeks. For this to work, the pots must be standing together in at least two rows.
Being a grass, corn grows quickly, adorning the veggie patch with its leafy exotica and height in no time, and – assuming we have a warm summer – supplying a glut of tasty cobs for weeks.