Corn question

[WiseOwl]

Hey, this is my first year actually getting corn to grow here......

Now how do I know when its ready to pick? I see the husks? growing like a beard and the corn is looking pretty healthy. I know with other veggies you can tell when its time to pick them but is there a too early or too late time with corn?

I will post pics if I need to....

Thanks

Wise Owl

[Matt In Oklahoma]

pull a small portion of the husk back and do a thumbnail check on one. Along with the look it will help you tell. Mine usually all came in within days of each other. If you are still in question pull one ear bite into it and then you will know where the others stand

[WiseOwl]

What do you mean by the "thumbnail " check Matt?

[Matt In Oklahoma]

push the kernal and see how much moisture there is. Immature kernals will still be tough and drier provided they have gottten enough rain/water. You will have to use the memory banks of when you ate corn to remember what the kernals were like.

[WiseOwl]

Thanks Matt, I think I am going to give everything one more good watering and check em then, maybe once it gets down to 90 degrees this evening....

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I'm sure you will get some other/better answers but this is what i have always done, yep when it cools down huh

[WiseOwl]

Well even though its 93 outside, I checked the corn and the kernels are very inconsistent. Looks like ants maybe? Or irregular watering? Saw some on the stalk. Looks like on the ears its been half eaten...dangit

[Matt In Oklahoma]

worms probably, it's like chicken, everything eats it

[WiseOwl]

Yep dangit...just popped all of them open and lil blue looking worms........what makes me mad, is this is the first year I was able to get corn to get to this stage...and then this. Well, might put some more in the ground and try again.

[goatlady]

If it is worms or earwigs a few drops of food grade cooking oil at the tip of each ear will help that problem greatly. I usually check the ears, pull back a bit of the husk and if the kernels are fully filled in all the way to the end, no cob still exposed, and the kernel "pops" milk with a fingernail stab, it's ready for the pot right then.

[WiseOwl]

Thanks Goatlady, I will try that next time. And when you mean cooking oil, like Wesson Veggie Oil?

[goatlady]

Yeppers, any cooking oil. It seems to coat the kernels and the bugs can't get a bite through it and also can coat the bug itself and smother them. Just a drop or 2 seems to work well for me. Do "open" the tip of the husk and get the oil on the ear itself.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

LOL I told ya
Corn Oil! hehehehe

[WiseOwl]

AHAHAHHAHA.....Well (shuck)s