I think I love everything there is about sweetcorn: its golden-yellow nuggets ofseed, its luscious leaves, its cheery tassels-above and mop-head silks below... but most of all, of course, I love their sweet and juicy cobs, picked fresh and cooked straight away.
Having its origins in Mexico as far back as 7000BC, sweetcorn became an important crop in North America and was cultivated by the Native Americans. It arrived in Europe in the 16th century and was grown throughout Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. Over the years, sweetcorn has become an increasingly popular veg to grow in UK gardens and allotments, from heritage varieties, such as ‘Golden Bantam’ and ‘Stowell’s Evergreen’, to the many hybrid ‘F1’ varieties that are now available.
SOWING
Sweetcorn will do well in a fertile, free-draining soil, so add plenty of organic matter as in homemade compost or manure in the autumn and also some general fertiliser such as Growmore or chicken pellets prior to planting.
Denne historien er fra June 2021-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
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Denne historien er fra June 2021-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!
