On your fruit & veg plot
This summer treat is best sown now, for planting out at the end of May
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as picking your own fresh sweetcorn and cooking it straight after picking on a warm summer day. The development of modern F1 hybrid varieties has made it much easier to grow and to be sure of sweet, succulent cobs, even in an average summer.
Now is the time to sow seeds in the greenhouse or on a windowsill so seedlings can be planted out at the end of May. This way the seedlings will have no check to growth, they will grow strongly and be sure to be productive. Always buy the best seed and avoid pots of seedlings, all sown in one pot, that are an unknown variety and will suffer when you try to untangle the roots to separate them.
The seedlings have long roots so it’s best to sow them in deep cells or pots. Sow two seeds per pot and remove the weakest seedling if both grow.
However, F1 seeds are expensive so you may want to sow one per pot but, because not every one will germinate, be prepared for some empty pots!
Sweetcorn needs rich soil in full sun. In cold areas it can be grown in a polytunnel but it does take up a lot of room. You need to grow at least a dozen plants, in a block, to be sure of good pollination of the cobs; there’s no point growing just one or two plants.
STEP BY STEP
Hoe between veg rows
Warm weather and relentless rain has weeds shooting up on all patches of bare soil. Prevent crops becoming crowded out by hoeing between rows to cut down the competition. Push a hoe through the soil surface to disturb the roots of annual weeds and stop them taking hold. Hoeing chops up roots, just take care to not disturb the plants you’re nurturing. Leave any uprooted weeds on
