Will We Have Sweet Corn for The 4th of July?

Wow! It is already the 4th of July! Every single year it seems the catch us by surprise and every single year we get asked the same question...When will the Corn be ready? Some years people start asking in late June and in other years, like last year (85 degree weather in May) some of our guests were asking on Mother's Day! "When is the corn ready" "Will the corn be ready early this year?" "Why is the corn so late?" "I want my corn and I want it now!" ....and the list continues..... This is actually a difficult question to answer. Mother nature does not tell us when SHE is ready for corn, or spring for that matter. To get corn for the 4th of July weekend we need to do just about everything physically possible to get the corn ready. The first step to this process is selecting the right type of seed. There are many different variations of seed for our signature Sweet Corn. We work directly with our seed companies to develop the right mix of yield, growing time and of course, flavor. For early corn, many farmers face the challenge of planting a corn variety that simply is not as sweet as a later season corn. We will never sacrifice flavor for a shorter growing time. The next step in this process is finding the right time to plant the corn. With the cold April and May we have this season it has been a battle to get corn for the 4th of July. Corn loves the heat but this season there has not been much of it until recently. We cover this early corn in a 10,000 square foot blanket, called Reemay, which gives it a few extra degrees. The last piece to this puzzle is the right amount of nutrients and the weather this past week. If we are able to time when we fertilize correctly, we are able to maximize the corns ability to grow when we get warmer weather. In the past few weeks the weather has been amazing but the nights have been cold. At this point, the corn is so close to producing that it may be up to one or two warmer nights to get corn for the 4th of July. After finding the right type of seed, tucking the corn in at night in a blanket, and a little love from Mother Nature... We are planning on having Corn for the 4th of July!

Thanks for checking out The Bee Blog and have a fantastic 4th of July, Jonathan Confreda