This is such a rewarding vegetable to grow, even though you only end up with one corn cob per plant at the end of months of growing! This is because corn quickly loses its sweetness and taste when it is stored- it is best to harvest your corn as you need it, and cook it as soon as possible for optimum flavour. So, if you grow your own, you end up with a much tastier (and more nutritious) vegetable.

Corn is one of the oldest cultivated crops, and is part of the grass family. Corn is a wind pollinated plant, and needs to be planted in squares (rather than long rows) with at least 20 plants for optimal pollination. If you have fewer plants, or don’t plant in blocks, you will have greatly reduced kernels on the cobs due to poor pollination. Each corn plant has both male (tassels) and female (silks) parts, and pollination occurs when the wind disperses the pollen from the tassels onto the silks of the plants.

If you want to prolong your harvest, plant corn in 2 batches about 1 month apart. Corn is a relatively hungry and thirsty crop, and it can be companion planted with beans (which fix nitrogen in the soil) to improve the crop. In return for the nitrogen, the corn can act as a support structure and shade for the beans, which grow up the corn stalks. Plant bean seeds in between corn rows once the corn has reached at least 20cm in height. Plant corn in full sun, and rotate your planting location each year.

Harvest your corn when the silks have begun to brown, and the kernels produce a milky (rather than clear) sap when pierced. Cook as soon as possible!