How To Grow Sweetcorn 2

Learning how to grow sweetcorn (corn on the cob) is really not very difficult, provided you follow a few simple rules.
Sweetcorn requires a good rich soil and plenty of moisture, so dig in all the compost, manure or whatever that you can.
Sweetcorn germinates very rapidly, so there is no great need to sow early, since it is also extremely frost-tender: sweetcorn + frost = dead sweetcorn. I tend to sow in the greenhouse about three weeks before I plan to plant out - after the last risk of any frost - which really means the end of April in my area.
The seed is quite big and germinates readily, so you need to sow in individual pots - two and a quarter inch square are quite big enough, which gives 15 pots to a standard seed tray for ease of handling.
However, I have some special seed-sowing trays made from jablite (expanded polystyrene) that I use which contain 20 holes to a unit and are bottomless. You simply stand the unit on a flat surface, fill the holes with seed compost, pop a seed in each one and cover.
The reason the compost doesn't fall out of the bottom is that the holes are shaped like a flowerpot, narrowing at the base. The jablite keeps the seeds warm and speeds growth.
I have to say that I've had several of these for many years, with different sized holes for different seeds and they really are very good indeed. However, the downside is that I don't know if you can buy them any more; I can't say I've seen them in garden centres recently.
Each plant will produce two or three cobs, so you can do your own calculations, remembering that the cobs also freeze extremely well for winter cooking.
Plant out when they are about 4" - 6" high. Do NOT plant in a row. Plant in blocks. The reason for this is that sweetcorn is wind-pollinated. The tassels, as they are called, pollinate each other by wind-blown pollen; if your plants are in a row, then pollination will be nowhere near as good as if they are in a block.
Keep the plants weed-free and very well-watered.
When the cobs have started to form, you want to know when they are ready for picking. This is fairly simple; then ends of the tassels poking out of the tip of the cob, which have been a light-cream colour, will turn black. Double-check by feeling the cob in your hand.
Pick the cobs by twisting them downwards off the plant.
To freeze, pull off all the leaves and end of the tassels, cut off the stalk and insert in boiling water for one minute. Cool rapidly in a bowl of cold water, bag up and freeze. To eat fresh, they take about 20 minutes boiling - serve with lots of butter. Delicious!
Now you know how to grow your own sweetcorn, you'll want to do it every season.

About the Author
Jack West is a garden writer who has been growing for over forty years. His main interests are growing food and flowers for the house. Very recently he has discovered an amazing new way of making garden compost which is far, far better for plants than traditional methods! This is truly groundbreaking (sorry) stuff! Get the red-hot info here:-
http://kmeister.turnwill2.hop.clickbank.net/

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