[gardeners] Another corn newbie question

Seyfried,Alice (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 17 Aug 1998 16:21:45 -0400

Well, a big THANKS! goes out to all who helped me in my indecision about
whether or not to hand pollinate my corn.  I have a 4 row X 10 plant
plot (I have no idea what variety it is - bad memory, sorry) and a
couple months ago wasn't sure if it was big enough or not. Well, Kay
told me I should hand pollinate by taking some of the tassles and
brushing them around. Others told me they just shake the stalks a bit.
Well, I had originally decided to just shake the stalks and see what
happened. Then I remembered that I had promised my 4 year old that we'd
have corn this year, so I decided to go with Kay's advice. (Kay, you
disappeared shortly after that conversation. I hope it wasn't anything I
said).  Almost all of the stalks (except a few on the edges that were
more shaded) now have 1 or 2 pretty big ears on them.  My question is,
how do I tell when they're ready to pick?  I have a feeling it's really
bad to peak inside the silks, so I haven't done that. 

Thanks!
Alice in London, Ohio (zone 5b) 
seyfried@oclc.org