Page 6 - North Haven Magazine Issue 29 Summer 2023

Cultivating
Cultivating
Cultivating
Cultivating by Sally Brockett
Cultivating
Cultivating
Sw
Sweet Corneet Corneet Corneet Corn
Sw eet C orn
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Sw
Sweet Corn
for Your Consumption

Sweet corn, one of our favorite things about summer! Summer is the only time you can get the
real flavor and enjoyment of sweet corn. It is never the same when eaten frozen, or canned.
And the very best way to get the full sweet flavor is to cultivate it yourself. How can you grow
your own corn to harvest and eat right from the garden?

here are four types of sweet corn, each kernels on the same ear of corn. Peaches and
Twith its own flavor and texture nuances Cream, Butter and Sugar, Honey and Cream
so it is important to decide which type you all offer yellow and white corn on the same
want to plant in your own garden. First, let’s ear.
compare these four types of corn,

Standard: you time to harvest and eat the first to ripen
This variety has the traditional sweet corn while the other corn is still growing. You can
flavor and texture; however, the sugar also choose varieties with different growing
content quickly changes to starch once times to maturity. Some varieties are early,
it is picked. Standard corn does not store some are mid-season, and some are late sea-
well, and the flavor will change in one or son. Careful planning will enable you to have
two days after picking. fresh corn throughout the summer season
into early fall.
Supersweet:
As the name implies, this variety contains Pollination:
twice the sugar as the standard variety, Be sure to separate your varieties to avoid
and the sugar converts to starch much If you prefer to diverge from the tradition- cross pollination. Cross pollination can
more slowly. Therefore, it can be stored al, try blue, red, or multi-colored corn. Blue cause starchy corn and loss of the specific
longer without as much loss of sugar, or Hopi can be harvested and eaten or dried for characteristics of each variety. However, you
sweetness. The yield of corn is less with decoration. It can also be dried and ground do want to ensure good pollination of each
this variety, and the seeds need warmer into blue corn flour for tortillas. Ruby Red is plant within varieties. If you plant a long, sin-
soil for germination, but this may not be sweet and tender and can be boiled, steamed, gle row of corn, the ears will not be well pol-
a concern for the home gardener. or microwaved. Wild Violet displays bright
purple and white kernels with a juicy, sweet,
Sugar-enhanced: and creamy corn flavor. The purple color is
The sugar level of this variety is between retained while cooking and deepens when
that of standard and supersweet. The sug- cooked for a few minutes. It was bred tradi-
ar-enhanced kernels are softer and ten- tionally with non-GMO practices.
der, so it is easy to chew. It can be stored
slightly longer than standard corn. Plant-
ing can be done in cooler soil than that
needed for supersweet.

Synergistic:
This corn combines some of the good
traits of supersweet and sugar-enhanced. linated and there may be missing kernels on
The sugar levels are higher than sugar-en- the cob. Plant either in a group of five plants,
hanced, and the kernels are more tender or 3-4 short rows to create a block of corn
than supersweet. It does need warmer soil that can pollinate well. Corn does require a
for germination so it should be planted lot of garden space.
later.
Protect against hungry caterpillars!
Choose your varieties: It can be very disheartening to carefully grow
Once you have decided which type you wish Soil and Timing: your corn and then discover a hungry cater-
to grow, or maybe you will experiment with Sweet corn requires full sun and well-drain- pillar munching on the delicious kernels be-
more than one type, you can choose within ing soil to grow nicely. Soil must be at least fore you get a chance to even taste it! There
that type from a number of different variet- 55°F, so wait at least two weeks after the are a variety of natural options available, so
ies. You might like the classic yellow ear of frost-free date for the soil to warm up before you do not need to use chemicals to protect
corn, and there are many varieties of yellow planting seeds. Supersweet corn prefers soil your corn.
corn from which to choose. Or you might at 65°F. To avoid having all your corn rip-
prefer all white corn such as Silver Queen. en in the same week or so, plan successive Diatomaceous earth (DE) (food grade –
But now you can also have yellow and white plantings about two weeks apart. That gives not pool use) is the fossilized remains of

North Haven Magazine - Summer Issue 2023
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