My ‘Sugar Pearl’ corn was at 70 days four days ago. That’s approximately 70 days from planting to harvest. It was time to check to see if some of my corn was ready. I determined it wasn’t but I’ll be watching it closely.

Before the raccoons find my corn, I want to know when my corn is ready to pick.

A few years ago, critters—likely raccoons—knew when my corn was ready to eat. I lost a number of ears and they damaged stalks of others as they rummaged about in my 4x5 foot patch.

We grow corn at home so we can harvest at the peak of perfection. I like to harvest and take the shucked corn straight to the boiling water on the stove. Leave it too long on the stalk and the kernels become dry and starchy.

Here are the most useful signs I use to determine that my corn is ready to pick. I’ve found that the dried silk and the presence of milky fluid in the kernels are the easiest and most reliable signs.

• Silk is dry and brown

• Kernels are tender and milky when slit with a fingernail

• Kernels are filled out, even and you can feel individual kernels through the husk

• Ends of cob are rounded not pointed

• About 20 days from when the silks first appeared or when approaching the “days to harvest” on seed packet.

• Cob is noticeably angled out from the corn stalk.

For more detail on these here’s a 3-minute read How to Identify a Ripe Ear of Corn. Or check out these 1-2 minute videos.

When to harvest your sweet corn?
When is corn ready to pick?
When and how to harvest corn

‘Sugar Pearl’ white corn from Renee’s Garden

I updated this post from a prior year. Dear Lucy, in the thumbnail photo, departed a few months ago at age 16. She loved to finish off our ears of corn in the backyard and was my Garden Companion.