Focus on… Sweetcorn

ONCE you have tried fresh, homegrown sweetcorn, nothing shop-bought will compare, but isn’t it tricky to grow? Not with the right treatment! Let’s look at what this must-grow crop needs.

A different grass

Sweetcorn is actually a massive, lofty grass. Its reputation for being fickle is down to the way it photosynthesises. Giving you a quick biology lesson, most plants use the C3 pathway for this energy-giving process, but sweetcorn, having evolved in arid regions, uses C4.

“Plant in blocks rather than rows for pollination”

C4 is excellent in hot, dry summers, but struggles in cool, damp ones. So a bad summer can result in poor corn. But don’t despair! There are loads of ways to combat this (see panel on next page) that focus on starting plants off early, choosing the right variety for your locality, keeping things warm and boosting growth when