"TQ" wrote:

Splitting the end is NOT a good idea.

Monitor the silk.
The ear will be ripe 21 days after the silk appears.
Ripeness is near when the silk begins to dry at the tips.
At this point, grab the top of the ear with your hand (thumb pointing down
toward the stalk). The top of the ear should feel full and blocky (not
sharply tapered).
Shuck the ear and look at the kernels. They should be just snug against
each other. Too snug and bulging, and the ear is over-ripe. Wide gaps,
it/s immature.

If it looks good, pick more of the same. If it/s immature, give it a couple
days.

Stephen I was going through the same and the pattern above is working
for me. The silks will defintiely brown--some web sites say if they
are brittel you are too late--this didn't seem so for me. The thing
about feeling the tip--when you get a ripe one you'll understand it
better. The corn looks like it ripens from the stalk to the tip. The
tip when immature is tapered to a point and looks like those minature
corn stalks you see in asian dishes. As the tip ripens they spread and
the end becomes blunt--you can definitely feel the difference without
peeling the silk/leaves back.

Also I noticed one small detail which hasn't been explained. A common
tip is to peel back the tip and pop a kernel. If the liquid is
clear-not ready--milky is good. But when I did this the smallish
kernel I popped was solid inside--this is apparently very immature. I
did harvest one when the tip kernels were small and I thought the rest
of the cob was still good. Peeling the silks back can be a probablem
because it enocourages bugs to get in the silk and to the cob. I did
find a lightning bug in the silks of the one I had opened. I'm now
just feeling the tips.




After the silk appears; be sure to provide good irrigation if rainfall is
lacking and monitor for ear worms to ensure nice, full ears.


"Stephen Snow" wrote in message
. com...
| i have some corn in my garden -- first time thing -- and wonder when i
| should pick the ears. when the tassels are white? when they are brown?
| ??? help!
|
| thanks in advance for any assistance,
|
| steve snow
|


DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
2nd year gardener
http://members.aol.com/DigitalVinyl66/Garden2004.html