ANOTHER season once again whizzes past us, with the days getting notably shorter and the weather wetter. This year’s season for fruit and vegetables has been particularly good, especially for apples, tomatoes and French beans to name a few, mainly due to the higher than average June and July temperatures across the UK.

Another crop that has done well and lies close to my heart purely based on its unparalleled flavour, if eaten straight from the plant, is sweetcorn. Sweetcorn, once picked from the plant, starts converting its sugars into starch; the sooner you eat it the sweeter it will be.

Sweetcorn (Zea mays) belongs to the grass family Poaceae. The origin of its botanical name isn’t certain, however it is thought that Zea is an old Greek name for corn and maize an old native word from South America meaning native corn. Originating from South America, sweetcorn’s history is extensive, dating as far back as 3,400BC being integral food stuff for the Aztec, Mayan and Inca civilisations. It is widely thought to have travelled to Europe with the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire, however other evidence suggests that it arrived in Europe after travelling west through Asia. It became popular in the UK after the Second World War and is now grown quite extensively in the South of the UK.

Growing sweetcorn needn’t be difficult, providing some basic requirements are met and of course the sun always helps.

Sweetcorn can be either sown direct in May or started off earlier on a windowsill from early to mid spring, sown individually 2.5cm deep in deep pots. Quite high germination temperatures are needed (20- 27C), so a propagator would be useful. Once the risk of frost has passed, the young plants can then be planted out. Sweetcorn is often planted in blocks in close proximity as it is pollinated by each other via wind and not by insects. Male flowers form at the top of the plant called “tassels” where the pollen is produced. Female flowers are formed at the top of each cob and are called “silks”. Recommended spacing varies from book to book. Always refer to the seed variety recommendations, however I personally always opt for the closer suggested spacing; usually about 20 to 25cm, especially for raised beds. If more space is available the usual recommended spacing is between 38cm and 45cm.

Sweetcorn requires full sun and is a heavy feeder, particularly of nitrogen, though considering its size sweetcorn roots are not extensive. It is important that sweetcorn be planted in a deeply-tilled fertile soil so that nutrients are readily available. A bed with well rotted manure mixed in is ideal. A slightly raised bed allows this to be achieved quite easily, without having to dig over your soil too much if it is heavy. Because of its shallow root structure, sweetcorn is sensitive to fluctuations in soil moisture, thus watering regularly is essential and a balanced feed every two weeks is ideal.

Sweetcorn can be prone to falling over in the wind, therefore staking is a must. If you stake each individual plant, ensure any string you tie is loose and check regularly as the sweetcorn plant will thicken rapidly during the growing season.

Some good sweetcorn varieties to try include Swift, Indian Summer, Lark and Golden Giant.

Problems that you may encounter whilst growing sweetcorn include mice, which eat the sweetcorn seeds when planted, birds that damage ripening cobs and slugs and snails that eat young shoots. Humane traps and nets to tackle mice and birds are the most effective remedy, whereas organic ferrous pellets may be used for slugs and snails.

Knowing when to harvest sweetcorn at their optimum comes with a little experience. Sweetcorn should be ready when the silks turn brown or black. Another method to pick them at their best is to prick a kernel with your fingernail. If the juice runs clear and watery then it isn’t ready yet.

If the juice is milky then you have a delicious ripe cob ready for the pot.