Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is an annual with yellow, white, and bi-colored ears. A long, frost-free growing season is necessary after planting. Sweet corn is wind-pollinated, so it should be planted in blocks, rather than in single rows. Early, mid, and late-season varieties extend the harvest. If you miss the optimal harvest time, corn will go downhill fast as sugars convert to starch.
Planting
- Corn is picky about its soil. Work in aged manure or compost the fall before planting and let over winter in the soil.
- Starting seeds indoors is not recommended.
- Plant seeds outdoors two weeks after the last spring frost date.
- Make sure soil temperature is above 60 degrees for successful germination. (Up to 65 for super sweet varieties.) In colder zones, the ground can be warmed by a black plastic cover if necessary. Plant seeds through holes.
- Plant seeds 1 inch deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Rows 30 to 36 inches apart.
- For sufficient pollination, plan your plot right. Don’t plant two long rows, rather, plant corn blocks of at least four rows.
- You may choose to fertilize at planting time, corn is meant to grow rapidly. If you are confident that the soil is adequate, this can be skipped.
- Water well at planting time.
Care
- When your plants are 3 to 4 inches tall, thin them so they are 8 to 12 inches apart.
- Be careful not to damage the roots when weeding.
- Soil must be well drained and able to keep consistent moisture.
- In dry conditions, be sure to keep corn well watered due to its shallow roots. Water at a rate of 5 gallons per sq yard. Mulch helps reduce evaporation.
Harvest/Storage
- Harvest when tassels begin to turn brown and cobs start to swell. Kernels should be full and milky.
- Pull ears downward and twist to take off stalk.
- Sweet corn varieties lose their sweetness soon after harvesting.
- Prepare for eating or preserving immediately after picking.
- Sweet corn freezes well, especially if removed from ears before freezing. Learn how to properly freeze corn.
- Corn kernels can also be harvested for other purposes, like corn-filled therapy packs.
Recommended Varieties
There are three types of sweet corn: Normal, sugar enhanced and super sweet. Each one contains a different level of sucrose, changing the flavor and texture of the corn. Sweeter varieties will stay sweeter for longer after harvest.
- ‘Iochief’ Midseason normal-sugar variety. Yellow.
- ‘Silver Queen’ normal sugar-variety. Resistant to some bacterial diseases. White.
- ‘Challenger Crisp n Sweet’ supersweet variety, resistant to some diseases, high yield. Yellow.
- ‘Pristine’ sugar enhanced variety, good taste. White.
NUTRITION
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)- Carbohydrates 19.02 g
- Sugars 3.22 g
- Dietary fiber 2.7 g
- Fat 1.18 g
- Protein 3.2 g
- Tryptophan 0.023 g
- Threonine 0.129 g
- Isoleucine 0.129 g
- Leucine 0.348 g
- Lysine 0.137 g
- Methionine 0.067 g
- Cystine 0.026 g
- Phenylalanine 0.150 g
- Tyrosine 0.123 g
- Valine 0.185 g
- Arginine 0.131 g
- Histidine 0.089 g
- Alanine 0.295 g
- Aspartic acid 0.244 g
- Glutamic acid 0.636 g
- Glycine 0.127 g
- Proline 0.292 g
- Serine 0.153 g
- Vitamins
- Vitamin A equiv. (1%) 9 μg
- Thiamine (B1) (17%) 0.200 mg
- Niacin (B3) (11%) 1.700 mg
- Folate (B9) (12%) 46 μg
- Vitamin C (8%) 6.8 mg
- Minerals
- Iron (4%) 0.52 mg
- Magnesium (10%) 37 mg
- Potassium (6%) 270 mg