General Discussion & Chat: When does corn tassel?, 0 by MaypopLaurel

MaypopLaurel wrote:
How tall depends on variety. This year I grew Jackpot and Peaches & Cream. Both are bicolor and grow about 6\'-61/2\' including tassels. They tassel first and then, in a week or less, silks emerge from swellings between leaf and stalk below. There will be an average of two per plant. Rarely three and sometimes one. So you can somewhat count chickens before they hatch. The tassels will emit clouds of pollen, especially in morning. Bees and wasps will help trigger pollen releases by simply moving through the tassels which is observable. So will the slightest breeze. It\'s wonderous. You can gently shake stalks in a small stand to help. Each silk emerging is attached to a flower below, which is not observable, but is a future kernel on the ear. To get a perfect ear ever silk strand must be pollinated.

I grow a small stand each year (24-30 plants) and have been harvesting this week. It goes starchy fast so must be picked and dealt with as soon as the silks start browning and ears fill. I make sourdough corn pancakes for breakfast, corn salad for lunch and corn on the cob for dinner or similar for a week or so. Corn in chili and raw on salads. Corn bread with fresh corn. I keep thinking of that corn kid that went viral. I blanched & froze 3lbs. off cob yesterday. Five 10oz. packages plus some for this morning\'s pancakes. Don\'t care for frozen corn on the cob and it takes up a lot of freezer space.

Farmerdill is the real expert on corn and everything vegetable with a lifetime of experience. He\'s helped me out for many years. Maybe DM him with specific questions. Meanwhile here is my corn from weeks ago when it tasseled and silked.