Harvest Through Autumn : Lend an Ear to Learn How to Extend Your Sweet Corn Crop
It may come as a surprise to those of you transplanted from other parts of the country, but in Southern California, sweet corn--more American than apple pie--is not strictly a spring-planted crop.
Corn also may be planted throughout early and midsummer for a fall harvest. Indeed, when I was growing up in Orange County, I recall that local produce stands sold sweet corn as late as Thanksgiving.
Each year, I plant corn several times during the summer, which provides a sweet harvest all autumn.
No matter when you plant sweet corn, with a little planning, the prudent gardener can extend the harvest over a long period. Sweet corn grown from a single planting tends to mature all at once; when it is past its prime eating stage, the sweetness is gone, replaced by a bland, starchy flavor.
Extending Harvest
There are two methods to extend your sweet corn harvest. The first is simply to put in small plantings of the same variety at 10-day intervals. The second method is more interesting as it allows you to sample several corn varieties from a single planting.
In this method, you simply plant early, medium and late maturing varieties. For instance, early varieties mature in about 65 days; medium varieties take 75 to 85 days; late varieties need 85 to 95 days. This method also saves the labor involved in successive plantings.
Good early varieties that produce well in our area include Golden Beauty, Early Sunglow, Early Golden Giant and Platinum Lady. The first three are yellow types; Platinum Lady has white kernels.
Superior medium-maturing varieties include How Sweet It Is, Golden Cross Bantam, Seneca Chief, Illini Xtra-Sweet and Double Delicious.
Late-maturing varieties include Silver Queen, Illini Chief, Sugar Sweet and Golden Queen. Silver Queen is a white variety, which I consider by far the best I’ve ever eaten.
In general, early-maturing varieties bear smaller ears; late-maturing types bear large ears.
There are sweet corn varieties, called bicoloreds, that produce both yellow and white kernels on the same ear. Honey ‘n Pearl is a superior new bicolored type that is a 1988 All-America Winner. It is a late-maturing variety.
To ensure proper pollination and the development of a full set of kernels on each ear, corn should be planted in blocks of at least four rows standing side by side. Never plant sweet corn in a single row, as it is wind pollinated and ears will not have a full set of kernels.
Garden Space
It is generally recommended that rows of corn be spaced 3 feet apart. This is fine if you have plenty of garden space. But I have had excellent results by spacing rows 2 feet apart or less, and giving the plants extra fertilizer.
The soil in your corn patch should be spaded and enriched with organic material. I recommend you also add a 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 3 pounds per 100 square feet. Water thoroughly and let the soil settle for two days before planting.
Seeds should be planted about 1 inch deep and 4 inches apart. When the young plants are 3 inches high, thin them to stand 8 to 12 inches apart.
Sweet corn should be watered deeply on a weekly basis. Keep your corn patch weeded or use a plastic or organic mulch to retard weed growth.
When young plants are about 12 inches tall, they will benefit from a side dressing of a general-purpose vegetable fertilizer. Again, be sure to irrigate after fertilizing.
To test sweet corn for the prime harvesting stage, puncture several kernels with your thumbnails. If there is a spurt of milky juice, the ear is ready for picking. To preserve the sweet flavor, cook the ears immediately.
