Sweet corn is a signal for me that the summer days are growing shorter, I get excited to pick my first ears of corn, looking forward to their naturally sweet taste. Recently from my garden, I grabbed an ear, peeled back the husk and became disappointed to find the first ears at the end of the rows looking like half popped plastic bubble wrap.
Fortunately, we can search for the answer asking a Gurney expert. It was explained, from looking at my corn, that in this case, my kernel set is poor due to deer browsing through and eating the corn tips, including the tassels. There just wasn’t enough pollen reaching all the kernels. Each silk is attached to a kernel; pollen has to hit each silk tassel to pollinate. No pollen, no kernel set. My Gurney expert said that corn planted in single rows instead of in blocks of at least 4 rows, is more susceptible to damage.
Luckily the deer munched at only one end of my corn rows. The rest of my corn was beautifully colored in white and yellow kernels and had a sweetness that was tasted without even cooking. I used to plant several different varieties each year just to try them, I don’t anymore because I found Gotta Have It® Hybrid Sweet Corn! – my favorite at present. It has a complex flavor of delectable sweetness while still having a rich corn taste. The combination makes it awesome to eat and serve.
Gotta Have It®Hybrid Sweet Corn! lives up to its advertised properties:
- Super fresh & sweet eating cob-on-the-cob
- Holds its sweetness & tenderness longer into maturity
- Most stalks have 2 ears
- Good husk coverage reduces earworn damage
- Full sized ears on shorter than normal stalks
- Freezes well
Now I just need to look ahead! Kids will be returning to school soon and my vegetable harvest will be in full swing, I’ve picked my peas and beans, just dug my first potatoes and I am trying to decide what to do with all my zucchini. We’ve passed the half way mark, now it is time for me to think about planting my fall garden.