Organic Sweetcorn Seeds  SweetcornGolden Bantam 20 Organic Sweetcorn Seeds £0.90
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- Sweet, early maturing variety
- Slim, good quality cobs
- Strong and suitable for exposed sites
Sowing Instructions
Sow: For best results, sow organic sweetcorn seeds indoors, in individual pots, from late March to late April. Using coir pots will make the job of planting out easier as these avoid root disturbance. Harden off then, once all frosts have passed in your area, just plant the seedling, coir pot and all, in a site which gets full sun and is, if possible, fairly sheltered. Sweetcorn are wind pollinated and should therefore be planted in a grid shape, around 40cm apart (see diagram below). Alternatively, if given protection with a cloche, or a plastic bottle with the base removed, seed can be sown 3cm deep, directly into the final planting position, from late April to mid May.
Aftercare: Water well, particularly in dry conditions, and, if desired, apply an organic liquid tomato feed every couple of weeks. On exposed sites, earth up to encourage your sweetcorn plants to put down more roots for stability, and stake if required. To ensure full pollination, some gardeners shake their plants on a daily basis once the tassels have formed!
Harvest: Begin to check if your organic sweetcorn are ready for the pot when the silky tassels go dark brown and dry out. Firstly ‘feel the ear’. If it feels full, carefully peel back the outer leaves and check that the kernals look plump. Finally, press on a kernel with your nail. If the juice is milky, you’re in luck...... get a pot of water on the boil! If the liquid is still clear and watery, just gather the leaves back up around the cob, secure with twine, or a rubber band, and test again in a few days.
Cooking Tips
The sugar in sweetcorn starts to turn to starch almost immediately, which is why home grown organic sweetcorn tastes so much more yummy than shop bought cobs! They are at their tastiest served simply boiled for 7-8 minutes or wrapped in foil, with a couple knobs of butter, and barbequed for around 10 minutes. Ah, bliss, sheer bliss!
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