Sweet corn 'Silver Queen'

Sun

Full sun, ideally at least 8 hours of direct sunlight daily.

Water

Keep soil evenly moist, especially while tassels, silks and ears develop. Supply roughly 1-1.5 in (25-38 mm) of water weekly during dry weather, adjusting for soil and heat.

Soil

Deep, fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost; ideally pH 6.0-7.0. Avoid waterlogged or very shallow soil.

Height

7-8 ft (2.1-2.4 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) per plant

Flowers

Summer: pale green to tan tassels at the stem tips release pollen onto pale green silks emerging from the ears.

Foliage

Long, broad, arching green leaves on sturdy upright stems.

Growth

Fast in warm weather; usually about 90-95 days from sowing to harvest under suitable conditions, longer in cool weather.

Care needed

Medium

• Heat tolerant
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.9 ft (0.27 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.3 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Sow after frost when soil has warmed to at least 60°F (16°C); cold, wet soil can rot the seed.
• Plant in a block of at least four short rows rather than one long row; thin plants to 10-12 in (25-30 cm) apart, with rows 30-36 in (75-90 cm) apart.
• Work compost into the bed before planting and apply a nitrogen-rich feed when plants are knee-high, following the product rate.
• Water deeply during dry spells, particularly from tasselling through ear filling; mulch once the soil is warm.
• Hoe shallowly to avoid damaging surface roots; shelter the crop from strong winds.
• Separate flowering from other maize varieties, especially field corn and popcorn, to protect eating quality; crossing with yellow corn can also produce yellow kernels.

Pruning. Do not prune, remove tassels or routinely remove side shoots. After the final harvest, cut down the stalks and chop healthy material for composting.

Pick ears when the silks are brown and dry but the husks remain green, usually about three weeks after silks first appear. Peel back a little husk and press a plump kernel: milky juice indicates readiness, while watery juice means it needs longer. Twist ears down from the stalk, then cook promptly or refrigerate immediately, as this traditional sweet corn loses sweetness quickly after picking.

Early spring

Choose a sunny, sheltered bed and incorporate compost; plan enough space for a block of plants.

Late spring

Sow outdoors after frost once the soil is warm. In cooler districts, start in deep modules indoors two to three weeks before planting out.

Early summer

Thin seedlings, weed shallowly and apply a nitrogen-rich feed when plants reach knee height.

Summer

Maintain steady soil moisture during tasselling, silking and ear filling.

Late summer

Check ears regularly for milky kernels and harvest promptly; warm-climate sowings may mature earlier.

Autumn

Remove spent stalks and clear fallen ears that could attract rodents.

• Grow in a rectangular block in the vegetable garden for effective wind pollination.
• Use as a tall seasonal backdrop to a sunny potager, keeping shorter crops on its sunward side.
• Combine with squash along the edges of a spacious edible bed, leaving access for watering and picking.
• Use a broad block as a temporary summer screen beside a productive garden, away from exposed boundaries.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Edible landscape, Homestead, Farmhouse, Cottage garden and Family-friendly.

Plant it with: Squash, Pumpkins, Bush beans, Nasturtiums and Calendula.

Wildlife: Wind-pollinated flowers can provide pollen for bees, but little value as a nectar source. Birds, rodents, raccoons and other mammals may eat seed or ripening ears; locally appropriate netting or exclusion may be needed.

• Patchy ears or missing kernels: plant a substantial block, keep plants watered during flowering and avoid sowings too small to provide enough pollen.
• Corn earworm or corn bollworm caterpillars: inspect silks and ear tips; use locally approved controls timed to young larvae before they enter the ears.
• Corn smut: remove swollen, grey-black galls before they release spores, dispose of affected material and avoid injuring plants.
• Seed rot and poor emergence: wait for warm soil, improve drainage and avoid sowing into cold, saturated ground.

Sweet corn is not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Corn cobs can cause choking or a serious intestinal blockage if swallowed, especially by dogs. Do not feed mouldy corn or drought-stressed stalks to livestock: mould toxins and accumulated nitrates can cause serious poisoning.

• Field corn (Zea mays)

  Plants can look almost identical before harvest. Field corn develops hard, starchy kernels rather than the tender, sweet kernels wanted for fresh eating; use labelled seed rather than relying on appearance.

• Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

  It has similar upright stems and strap-shaped leaves, but carries its grain in a terminal seed head rather than in husked ears along the stem.

Zea comes from an ancient Greek name for a cereal grain, and mays derives from the Taíno name mahiz for maize.

Propagation. Grow from purchased hybrid seed. Sow 1-2 in (2.5-5 cm) deep in warm soil, or start in individual deep modules and transplant while young with minimal root disturbance. Saved seed will not reliably reproduce 'Silver Queen'.

Accepted botanical name

Zea mays

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada, the lower 48 states, Pacific Basin, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.

Native range

Guatemala, Mexico Central and Mexico Southwest.

Measured

Soil pH 5.5 to 7.5. Average height 150 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.