Growing the best sweet corn in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – There are lots of different types of sweet corn that do well in Utah. Are you interested in growing some in your garden? If you don’t know the proper way to grow sweet corn, chances are you will end up with 6-inch ears and small kernels.

On the latest KSL Greenhouse show, Taun and Maria went over some of the common types of sweet corn that are available, as well as what to look out for when planting them.

“Sweet corn requires a lot more water than other garden plants and more fertilizer because it grows so quickly in the summer,” Taun said.

Which variety of sweet corn is for you?

Some of the old-fashioned varieties are still around. They are called standard sweet and are typically labeled (su) at garden and retail centers.

“When you pick them, they need to be at their peak ripeness and they’ve got to go in the refrigerator because they lose their sugar within 24 to 48 hours,” Taun said.

Old-fashioned sweet corn is also the most durable for freezing and canning when they’re at their peak ripeness.

“When you eat sweet corn from a can or that’s been frozen… commercially, those companies are using what’s called just a standard sweet corn because it just stands up to that processing,” Taun said.

For fresh eating, most gardeners grow the sugar-enhanced (se) variety, which lasts for three or four days.

One type of sweet corn that people have been growing over the last 10 to 15 years is super sweet (sh2), which lasts a week to 10 days if refrigerated.

The synergistic (syn) variety of sweet corn is a cross between the sugar-enhanced and the super sweet corn. That means they give you both flavor and the sugary texture.

 

Listen to the full segment on our podcast below!

The KSL Greenhouse is on every Saturday from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. You can follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and on our website.