Sweetcorn Plant 'Swift Early'
Image © Stephen Shirley Use This Image

Sweetcorn Plant 'Swift Early'

Zea mays 'Swift Early'

This is the sweetest and earliest variety we have found producing gorgeous cobs packed full of sweet, juicy, plump kernels.

Quite simply fantastic in every way !

Supplied as compost block grown plants.

Back to Vegetable Plants

How To Grow Sweetcorn

For Growing Outside
Set out plants after all risk of frost and when air temperatures are improving - approximately May to early July. If temperatures are still low, grow on under protection, but pot plants on to prevent them becoming root bound.
Set out 15" apart in rows 18" apart. For good pollination sweetcorn needs to be planted in blocks rather than a single row or two.
Harvest when ready; the cobs are normally ready to harvest when the tassels on the husk of the cobs dry and change colour to dark brown; gently pull back the husk and pierce a kernel with your fingernail, if a milky liquid exudes the cob is ready to eat.

For Growing Under Protection
(this will give you early sweetcorn without the worry of cold temperatures)
Set out into the border soil of your polytunnel or greenhouse when around 6" in height. Set out 15" apart in rows 18" apart, ideally in blocks rather than single rows to ensure good pollination.
Alternatively grow in tubs, plant 4 plants per 18" tub.
As sweetcorn is naturally wind pollinated you will need to artificially pollinate. At the first signs of the flowers at the top of the plant releasing pollen (evident by yellow 'dust' clouding when you brush past the plants or yellow 'dust' on the lower leaves and surrounding the plants) gently give the each plant a shake to release pollen and encourage to drop from the top flowers to the lower juvenile cobs; you will need to do this daily for approximately two weeks or until no more pollen is released.
Harvest when ready; the cobs are normally ready to harvest when the tassels on the husk of the cobs dry and change colour to dark brown; gently pull back the husk and pierce a kernel with your fingernail, if a milky liquid exudes the cob is ready to eat.

Top Tips
Cover the soil you are going to grow your crop in with black polythene or similar a few weeks before planting out as this will absorb heat and warm up the soil.
You can of course also plant through a polythene mulch or similar as this will continue to retain heat along with moisture - and suppress weeds.
Protect the young plants with cloches, wind breaks or similar if the weather is cold.
Home grown sweetcorn is much sweeter than shop bought sweetcorn, this is because the sugar in the cobs starts to turn to starch the moment the cobs are cut. To get the best from your cobs cut as close to when you are going to cook them as possible - it is common for Americans (famous for their love of corn) to take a saucepan of boiling water with them to plunge the cobs into when they go to cut their corn; if you do this please be careful!
Plunging the freshly cut cobs, husk and all, into a bucket of water and then barbecuing is also a way to maintain that super sweet flavour - no need to wrap in foil as the wet husk will protect the kernels and as the outer layers char they will give a fantastic smoky flavour.

For something completely different and to maximise crop space try growing sweetcorn using the Three Sisters method.