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“ Sweet corn can be tested for ripeness by pressing a kernel with your fingernail - if they are ripe, this will show a creamy coloured liquid from inside the kernel. If the liquid is watery, the sweet corn needs more time to ripen; if the liquid is almost like dough, the sweet corn is over-ripe. Start this testing when the silks (long silky threads which grow out of the cobs) turn brown and start to shrivel. ”
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Each cornstalk should produce at least one large ear. Under good growing conditions (correct spacing; freedom from weeds, insects and disease; and adequate moisture and fertility), many varieties produce a second ear. This second ear is usually smaller and develops later than the first ear.
Sweet corn ears should be picked during the "milk stage" when the kernels are fully formed but not fully mature. This stage occurs about 20 days after the appearance of the first silk strands. The kernels are smooth and plump and the juice in the kernel appears milky when punctured with a thumbnail. Sweet corn remains in the milk stage less than a week. As harvest time approaches, check frequently to make sure that the kernels do not become too mature and doughy. Other signs that indicate when the corn is ready for harvest are drying and browning of the silks, fullness of the tip kernels and firmness of the unhusked ears.
To harvest, snap off the ears by hand with a quick, firm, downward push, twist and pull. The ears should be eaten, processed or refrigerated as soon as possible. At summer temperatures, the sugar in sweet corn quickly decreases and the starch increases.
Cut or pull out the cornstalks immediately after harvest and put them in a compost pile. Cut the stalks in one foot lengths or shred them to hasten decay.
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