Growing corn - need support

The support is for me, not the corn! This is my first year growing corn and so far things are going good I think - I just need a little encouragment from you experts. I only have 8 stalks so I'm not expecting a huge harvest...just enough for a side dish for a meal or two. I didn't want to devote too much of my veggie garden to something I didn't know would work or not.

A couple of them have put out the tassels - but I see no silk forming. Will it come soon? And if so, how long will it be before ears form? I am just hoping all this happens before the nights get too chilly here. Thanks for your support and advice! Susanne

Susanne -- you likely have plenty of time in your zone, the tassels are just starting on my corn here, way up north. First the tassels, then the you'll start seeing little ears forming and the silks will poke out the ends. Every strand of silk will -- if fertilized by the pollen on the tassel -- create a kernel on the ear of corn. Is your little plot of corn all in a row, or kind of in a "block" ? If in a row, you may need to take the tassels and shake them on the silks when the pollen is coming off, to ensure that things get well pollinated. Can't hurt even if they're planted in a block, with such a small number of stalks.

:-)

Thank you so much for the reply WW! Mine are more in a block as you say - 2 rows of 4 which are fairly close. I will definitely shake the tassels/stalks though to ensure pollination - thanks for that advice. I do it with my tomato plants, even though it's probably unnessary - but I don't want to risk empty plants with no fruit. The horror!

I'm glad to know that the plants will still produce the ears/silk yet...thanks again for your reply and I will be watching my plants closely!!

I am just now harvesting my corn, it really its jummy, just like you I did not plant many but now I wish I planted more my DD is a corn monster and loves to eat corn. Wait for the tassels to get dark brown before harvesting.

You're getting me excited carminator! I too am a corn monster :) Thanks for the tip about the tassels, too.

Carminator, I think you mean the "silks", right? (on the ends of the cobs)

Yes sorry silks.

Gotcha! thanks :)

Forgot to mention, I did get some really nice, full ears out of some of my corn about 6 or so, but now the remnants are small and splotchy looking, not sure if this is normal or not as this is my first year growing corn also. The type that I am growing is called silver queen, really nice white corn, sweet but not extremely sugary just how I like it.