Zea mays

sweet corn

Sweetcorn is relatively easy to grow and without a doubt tastes so much better that shop bought. There's a great range of varieties to grow, both heritage and modern, and something to suit most gardens and the shorter British summers. If you are short on space you could also try growing baby corn. Sweetcorn is generally classified into three groups. 'Normal' which is the original type of sweetcorn and seeds tend to have the most vigour - they're not as sweet as some of the newer varieties and should be eaten as soon as picked to avoid the sugar being converted to starch. 'Supersweet' which, as the name suggests, have a high sugar content but are not so easy to germinate. 'Supersweet' varieties should not be grown with other varieties as cross-pollination can result in a reduction in sugar content. 'Tendersweet' which are both tender and sweet (although not as sweet as 'supersweet') and can be grown alongside other varieties.