Do you know when to harvest corn at its peak? We're discussing not just sweet varieties, but all types of corn in this in-depth guide!A delicious summer staple, corn is the backbone of so much of what we eat in the United States. Whether it’s eaten as fresh sweet corn or dried to make cornbread or tortillas, we rely so much on this wonderful plant. But getting the timing right on when to harvest corn can be a little tricky. With its kernels hidden from view, how can we tell when our corn is ready to harvest and time to enjoy the sweet fruits of our labor?
Corn is a grass, believe it or not! When it first germinates in the garden, it shoots up out of the earth with a single little blade of grass-looking matter. Over time it will shoot out more leaves and push upwards, eventually forming nodes and growing ears of corn. Getting the timing right on when to pick corn requires a little planning ahead.
This crop goes from seed to ear of corn in under 100 days. A common phrase used among people who grow fresh corn in their garden is ‘knee-high by the 4th of July’. That means that the seeds have been planted, germinate and reach about 12-18” high by early July. By no means do you have to follow that rule, but you should take a look at the date of the first frost in your region and count backward to figure out your own planting date. You want to make sure that your corn is ready before a killing frost in the fall undoes all the plants’ hard work.
Corn on the cob isn’t the only way to eat the bounty of your corn stalks. There is also corn for popcorn, animal feed, flour, cornmeal, and tortillas. Knowing what type of corn you’re trying to grow is crucial to keep your corn sweet when it lands on your plate.
Unlike when you pick an ear in the home garden, mechanical combines are used to harvest fields of dry corn for animal feed. This is because there are certain types of corn like flint, popcorn, or flour corn that are only picked when they’ve thoroughly dried. This is completely different for sweet corn.
Sweet corn has a relatively short shelf life. Immediately after harvest, the sweet sugars in the kernels start turning into starches and thus decrease in sweetness. This is why it’s such a popular food to grow with home gardeners. The quality of homegrown sweet corn that’s harvested in the morning from the garden and eaten for lunch is unsurpassed by anything you’ll find on a grocery store shelf, you can taste the sugar in every kernel!