8/7/2019 Spinach Sweet Corn

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Spinachpinach (Spinacia oleracea) cane sown in the late summer andutumn. It is quick growing and,nder favorable conditions, iseady to use in 40 to 60 days. Theeed germinates at very lowemperatures and the plant grows

well under cold conditions. Soilhould be well prepared and wellrained.Spinach tends to bolt when

ays are long and temperaturesise . Some varieties are moreusceptible than others. Spinachoes not tolerate very acid soils.

On the other hand, excessiveiming can induce manganese or

chlorosis indicated by a)wing of the leaves.,pply adequate dressings of~nicmanure or compost sup-

plemented by an NPK 5 : 8 : 4~pletefertiliser before sowing.:ood supply of nitrogen and. ' - l of moisture is essential to: rapid growth ; otherwiseaves become tough.N the seed 20 mm deep in

rows 300 mm apart. About eightweeks after sowing the plants

should be thinned out to 150 mmapart. A mulch of straw or blackkeeps grit and dirt away

from the leaves at harvest time.

Sweet cornHome grown, freshly picked corn(Zea mays) has an advantageover cobs bought in shops becausesweet corn continues to ripenafter being picked and quickly be-comes over mature. The stagewhen the cobs are picked is very

critical, and the sooner they arecooked after picking the better theflavour.

Because of this rapid deterior-ation both on and off the plant, itis advisable to make successiveplantings. Sweet corn seed canbe sown from the end of Septem-ber through December ; the cobsbeing ready for use in about twoand a half months.

Soil preparation and sowingDig and manure as for tomatoes.Apply 30 g of superphosphate toevery metre of row in doubledrills alongside the seed row. Sowthe seed in drills 25 mm in depth.

Place three seeds in a groupcvery 300 mm along the drill andthin out to one plant when theplants are about 200 mm high.Allow one metre between therows.

CultivationThe soil should be kept in goodtilth between the plants and rows ;

ciiiorz of J i t ,ee t c o r ~ zC N I I h e i ~n p r o \ . e d hy ~ l ~ c ~ h i r l g01 r pollc'rz fro^^ l i ~ etopjlo~veronto tile silk of the cob.

A variety ofcobs.

gradually earthing up around theplants until they are on a small

hill. Apply a nitrogen fertiliserside-dressing when the top maleflower or " tassel " is beginning toform, use 30 g of sulphate ofammonia or 15 g of urea permetre of row.

Help polination by shakingthe pollen from the tassel on tothe " silk" of the cob when the airis quite sti ll; preferably in theevening or early morning. Waterheavily during the hot weather.

HawestingAs the cobs begin to swell, theymust be watched closely to avoidover maturity. The cobs are readyfor use when the top tassel beginsto wither, and the cobs themselvesare plump.

An additional check is to openthe sheath of the cob and pricksome of the kernels with a pin.They should exude a milky juice

and feel quite soft when pressedwith the thumb nail. If juice doesnot exude, the cob is over matureand its flavor will be inferior. PuIlor cut off the cobs with ,a downward motion.

Cook the cobs as soon as pos-sible after picking as they maybecome over mature if held for 24hours after picking. When cook-ing, make sure that the water is

boiling before the cobs are placedin the saucepan.