The best way to enjoy these golden cobs is to cook and consume them within minutes of being picked.

Sweet corn takes up a fair amount of growing space so if you don’t have room in the vegetable garden, plant a block in the background of a border garden. 

There are dwarf varieties for smaller gardens so there is no reason why a garden cannot support a crop.

The cultivation of corn dates back to around 5000 BC to 2000 BC.  

This member of the grass family was grown by the first peoples of the Americas who improved the quality and developed larger cobs. 

It became known to the world after the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.

Sweet corn is similar to other foods from America such as dwarf beans, potatoes and tomatoes in that it is a frost-tender, warm weather vegetable.

Today there are many varieties of corn. 

A well-known variety is popcorn which explodes when heated due to the inner portion of the grain retaining more moisture than the outer parts.

To grow mouth-watering cobs the soil needs to be a deep, rich, friable type to allow the well-developed root system to explore it thoroughly.

The addition of a complete fertiliser and organic matter will assist in the retention of water as this crop needs copious amounts when the cobs are being formed.    

Choose a sheltered position that is well-draining, has moist soil and gets at least six hours of sun a day.  

Soak seeds overnight then sow in rows or blocks at spacings of 2.5cms deep and 15cms apart in rows 90cms apart. 

For a continuous supply sow more seed every two weeks.

Varieties maturing at different times can be sown together to spread out the harvest.

As the plants grow earth up around the stalks as they tend to throw out buttress roots to provide additional anchorage to steady the thick stems.  

It’s so important to grow corn in blocks rather than single rows as pollination is brought about by the wind. 

The tassels that form at the top of the plant carry the all-important pollen which must fall onto the silks, the thread-like pieces that come out of the embryonic corn cob.

Each silk carries the pollen back to a kernel, which then begins to swell.

To aid pollination give the plants a gentle shake to encourage the pollen to drop onto the budding cobs.

Sweet corn is very rich in sugar and should be picked before the grain has begun to ripen or when at the ‘milk stage’.

This is the stage when you can part a sheath, push a thumbnail into a kernel and a milky liquid is released.

 If left too long the mature cobs dry out and become unpalatable.

October 5,6,7:  Devonport Orchid Society’s Show, Maidstone Park Memorial Hall, Main Road, Spreyton featuring Australian natives and exotic orchids. Friday 2pm-4.30pm, Saturday from 9am-4.30pm and Sunday 9am-4pm. Entry $3.

October 6:  Australian Plant Society native plant sale, Max Fry Hall, Gorge Road, Launceston 10am - 2pm.

October 16: The Australian Plant Society meets at the Max Fry Hall, Gorge Rd, Launceston 7.30pm. Visitors welcome.

October 17: Rosemary Verbeeten will speak on Gardening in Morocco at the Launceston Horticultural Society meeting, St Ailbes Hall, Launceston at 7.30pm. Visitors welcome. Home-made supper.

October 20:  Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden cherry blossoms and bonsai and ikebana displays. Open 10am-3pm. Adults $12, concession $10, children free.