Growing Baby Sweet Corn

Growing baby sweetcorn is so simple to do (and takes so little time) that anyone can do it.

Today we’re going to take a closer look at the process of growing baby sweet corn in your garden and why everyone with a little space in their yard or garden should consider growing these fantastic plants.

The Benefits Of Baby Sweet Corn

Whether you add them to stirfries, have them as a side-dish with your main meal or simply dip them into houmous and eat them raw, few people could deny that baby sweet corn are both delicious and nutritious.

But they’re also expensive to buy – even when in season. So learning to grow baby sweet corn yourself can not only be tremendously satisfying but can also save you money on your grocery bill.

And to top it off, the quicker you eat fresh corn, the sweeter it is so your home-grown sweet corn will likely be even tastier than those you buy in your local supermarket.

What’s not to love?!

Germinating Baby Sweet Corn

Baby sweet corn aren’t just normal corn that are picked early; they’re a specific variety of corn. Personally I’ve had the best luck with the “Minipop” variety with consistent growth and cropping for the last few years.

The easiest way to start your baby sweet corn growing is in modules. These are like standard seed trays, but instead of one large tray the planting area is split up into numerous smaller “pots” attached to one another. I like to use trays where the modules are roughly 1-1.5″ in diameter.

The reason to use modules for growing baby sweet corn is quite simply that it makes planting your corn out later much easier. Simply fill the trays with good quality, peat-free compost and plant two seeds into each module.

Sometimes a seed won’t germinate, in which can you have a “backup” seed. And in those cases where both seeds germinate, consider transplanting the second seedling into a new module.

As with all seeds, warmth and moisture are essential for growth so when you’re planting in the early spring (March-April works well) try placing your modules onto a south facing windowsill, inside your greenhouse or in an airing cupboard.

Sweet corn seeds are quick to germinate and grow so you should start to see seedlings poking their heads through the soil in a matter of days. Within a few weeks your seed trays will look beautiful as they’re filled with fresh green sweet corn shoots.

Growing Baby Sweet Corn Seedlings

It’s important to remember when growing baby sweet corn that corn plants like it hot and sunny – and baby sweet corn is no exception. So once germinated, place the trays in the warmest, sunniest spot you can offer them. They’ll grow rapidly under such conditions and by the time the frosts have passed and the seedlings are 4+” in height they’ll be ready to plant.

Planting Baby Sweet Corn Outside

Here’s one reason why growing baby sweet corn is actually easier than standard sweet corn… Full-sized sweet corn are typically wind-fertilized which means you have to plant them in “blocks” of plant. In this way, when the wind blows the pollen there’s a good chance the other plants will be pollinated, without which no ears of corn will grow.

However baby sweet corn don’t need to be pollinated in order to produce their juicy little heads, and as a result there are no restrictions on where you can grow them – save that they like as much direct sunlight as possible.

For this reason when growing baby sweet corn I often plant them in rows – to form a small “hedge” that not only looks neat but can provide some additional privacy in your garden. It also means you can fit the plants into virtually any available space.

Planting is easy if you’ve grown your baby sweet corn in modules. Simply dig a small hole, gently push up the bottom of one of the modules and you should find that out pops one of your sweet corn seedlings with an attractive, healthy root system. Simply pop it in the hole, fill the hole back in and water heavily.

Baby sweet corn can be grown as close as 8-12″ apart and will grow anything up to five feet or so in height eventually, though far shorter plants will still produce corn at the right time of year (August-September typically).

Overall, once they’re planted out, growing baby sweet corn requires very little ongoing effort. I don’t feed mine or support them. The baby seedlings can be prone to attack by snails and slugs initially as the leaves are so juicy, but as the plants grow the leaves toughen and garden pests seem to lose interest in them. I simply weed around them when necessary and water regularly in hot, dry weather.

Harvesting Baby Corn

The only difficult thing about growing baby sweet corn is quite simply the harvesting because you need to get your timing right. If you leave baby sweet corn on the plant too long they won’t turn into standard sweetcorn but will just grow into large, tough and rather unpleasant baby sweet corn. In other words timing is of the essence when picking baby sweet corn and it’s important you get it right if you’re going to enjoy your harvest.

As summer moves on, your rapidly growing baby sweet corn plants will start to produce tiny baby sweet corn heads growing at the leaf-bases of your plants. Keep a regular eye on these and aim to pick them when they’re around 6″ in length – certainly no more than 8″.

When your sweetcorn heads reach this size, gently pull the heads downwards where they should snap cleanly off your plant – though you may lose a few leaves off your plant as you do this. This is normal and nothing to worry about. As you peel away the outer leaves you’ll be surprised by just how compact the corns inside really are.

That’s it really! And as you find yourself picking your own fresh, organic, home-grown baby sweet corn on an almost daily basis you’ll realize that the tiny investment of time you put in earlier in the year has paid itself back over and over again.

Do you like growing baby sweet corn? Have you been inspired to start? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below…