Sweetcorn

When do you know your sweetcorn is ready for picking? I’m starting to think it might be a bit late for it to get to fully ripe. I definitely have one cob on each plant but don’t know what signs to look for to say it’s really. 
I picked 4 big fat slug of the plants this morning. Even with all the defences I put in place.

No idea - sorry . My sweetcorn plants are about a foot high. they're in the No Chance Saloon.

The tassels should be chocolate brown, peel back the leaves to a nicely formed kernel and puncture with a finger nail. If the resulting liquid is clear, it's too early, if its milky it's just right if it's creamy then you might get away with it but you're pushing your luck, if it's thick and starchy it's well gone over. Depending on variety, I mostly grow Swift, the kernels start to go pale yellow and increase in yellow colour as time goes by. Make sure you jab a proper kernel rather than those at the tip which can be unpollinated.

Did anyone see Countryfile last night where a farmer was growing white maize, definitely not sweetcorn. Lots of other crops too. Did you know you can eat young pumpkin leaves?

The tassels should be chocolate brown, peel back the leaves to a nicely formed kernel and puncture with a finger nail. If the resulting liquid is clear, it's too early, if its milky it's just right if it's creamy then you might get away with it but you're pushing your luck, if it's thick and starchy it's well gone over.  Depending on variety, I mostly grow Swift, the kernels start to go pale yellow and increase in yellow colour as time goes by.  Make sure you jab a proper kernel rather than those at the tip which can be unpollinated.

Thanks JJB. Mine aren’t ready yet. No chocolate brown tassels yet. I’ll just have to cross my fingers and hope there’s still time.