Sweet corn grown for the edible, tender immature ear. It is an annual, requiring warm, well-prepared soil and full-sun exposure.

Market information

Marketing. The super sweet varieties taste sweet but they are not the same as the Asian varieties. The corn has to be fresh and should be part of a delivery made every day to a given market.

Culture

Propagation and care. Sow seeds a bit closer than normal, 6 to 8 inches apart in 30 to 40 inch rows. Do not plant too densely for the amount of nitrogen you have or you can get plants with no ears. Water requirements are similar to regular sweet corn except that since it is a short season crop it won't need as much total water.

Pick baby ears about 1 to 2 days after silks emerge. They are not tender enough after that point in time. The length of the ears will be primarily a function of the variety and the soil fertility. Plant varieties with multiple ears.

Pest and weed problems. Baby corn is a relatively pest free crop. Ear worm is not a problem because you harvest before any damage is done. Smut is also not a problem, except in rare cases, for the same reason. Other pests, such as seed corn maggot, can be managed as you would for sweet corn.

Baby corn can be grown without chemicals fairly easily. If you incorporate residue soon after harvesting it can add significant organic matter that will decay much more quickly than if you let the plants get old and dry down.

Sources

Seed:

Johnny's Selected Seeds, Foss Hill Rd., Albion, Maine 04910.
Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 North Pacific Hwy, Albany, OR 97321.
Park Seed Co., Cokesbury Road, Greenwood, SC 29647-0001.
Shepherd's Garden Seeds, Shipping Office, 30 Irene Street, Torrington, Conn. 06790.

Le Jardin du Gourmet, P. O. Box 75, St. Johnsbury Center, VT 05863.

Many seed companies sell regular sweet corn varieties that can be used.

Figure 1. Baby sweet corn are 3 to 4 inches long when ready to harvest. (Photo by Hunter Johnson).

4/30/90