Sweetcorn

Question:

I feel a bit of an idiot e-mailing you for Sweetcorn trauma, but my next door neighbour is growing the stuff and very beautifully may I add. The problem we have got is we cannot find the Cobs! We know there is a really silly answer to this problem and would appreciate all the help you can give us.

Answer:

The tassels at the top of each plant are the male flowers and the female flowers are the “silks” down the stalk. The cobs will form from the female flowers so if you can see the silky female flowers then the cobs should appear shortly. Tapping the tassels at the top of each plant when they are fully developed will help pollination. Each plant will produce just 1 or 2 cobs so if they had begun to form and are no longer there then the birds may have eaten them! They are a major problem with sweetcorn. If this is the case next year try protecting the crop once is begins to develop. Sweetcorn plants should be sown in rectangular blocks which will ensure that the wind pollinates the female flowers effectively. Assuming your neighbour sowed the seed during May/June the cobs should be ready to harvest mid to late August.

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