Summer Sweet Corn: A 5-Step Guide To Growing Your Own Delicious Crop At Home

Gardening Tips: Growing your sweet corn is a satisfying way to enjoy a summer time favourite. It's surprisingly easy, even if you don't have a huge garden. All you need is a sunny spot, some basic preparation, and simple care. This guide will walk you through the steps, from choosing the right seeds to picking those perfectly ripe ears of corn.??

How to grow sweet corn at home??

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1. Variety Selection: Choose sweet corn varieties that suit your climate and how sweet you like.Place: To grow sweet corn, find a place where it can get 6-8 hours of direct sunlight.?
2. Soil: Sweet corn needs fertile, loose, and warm (16°C) soil. You can add manure and compost to the soil to make it best for sweet corn. Before sowing the seeds, make the soil loose by digging it over. Digging deep also helps the roots grow well.?
3. Planting: Corn uses wind to spread pollen from one plant to another, so plant your corn seeds in blocks instead of long and single rows. To plant the seed, make 1-inch deep holes in the soil. Make sure to space the holes 12-15 inches apart in a row and leave about 2-3 feet between each row. Pop a seed in each hole and cover it with soil.?
4. Water: Aim to give your corn patch about 1 inch of water per week. You can water deeply with a hose or watering can, especially during the hot days.?
5. Pests: Watch out for pests like corn earworms and fungal diseases like corn smut.?

Also Read:?Gardening Tips: 5-Step Guide To Grow Amaranth In Your Home Garden

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How to Tell When It's Ready??

1. Corn is ready to pick when the little bumps on the cob (called kernels) are plump and squirt out a milky liquid when you squeeze them. The brown, silky threads (silks) on the cob will also be dry and brown, and the outer husks (the leafy cover) will still be green and tight.?
2. To harvest your corn, grab the cob firmly and twist it downwards to snap it off the stalk. Sweet corn tastes the sweetest right after you pick it! You can enjoy it boiled, grilled, or roasted for the best flavour.

Also Read:?Summer Gardening: A 6-Step Guide To Growing Cowpeas At Home