All these garden posts people are doing and I always felt that I couldn’t really join in because frankly I have very little dirt. (other than what you’d find at the bottom of someone’s shower) We have paved pathways, landscaped garden beds and lots and lots of patio and deck.
One day John was talking with his father and he said, “I really miss the corn we used to grow at our old place in Wodonga.” Well, in two or three days Rob dug out a passion fruit vine that I didn’t like, got the gardener guy to dig up the roots and he planted corn.
I chuckled to myself. It’s up against the fence and between two really big shrubs and not much room between the fence, the walkway and the house. Honestly, I figured it was something to keep the old guy busy.
Then one day I walked around the corner of the house and there were corn stalks. I laughed and thought to myself that they wouldn’t be there long.
The other day my next door neighbour Chris yelled over the fence and said, “Maureen!!! Is that corn growing over the fence?” I told him, “Yeah, but I doubt it’s doing anything.”
Well, sir, it was. I went back through the house and just for shits and giggles I went around to look at the corn. I yelled, “Rob!! The corn is ripe!”
He came out and said no, it wasn’t ready yet, the kernels needed to be much fatter. Now I hate overripe corn and I wasn’t going to listen. I picked 3 ears and told him it was going to be the best corn he’d ever eaten and he would bow down before me.
And it was. He told me if he could get down he would bow but since he’s 93 (going on 94) he hoped I would take his admission as a bow. I did.
I wasn’t going to take a photo of the corn growing because, well, it looks goofy. It’s beautiful and healthy but in front of the corn he’s planted some beans. John wanted beans too.
To keep the dog off his beans he fashioned the ugliest ‘fence’ made of pieces of irrigation pipe (that he dug up) and tomato stakes. I was appalled but it’s his garden and I’m leaving him alone. I pressure washed the walkway while he was in Melbourne but now you need gumboots to walk around out there.
If you thought you couldn’t grow corn because you only had a very (very) small garden patch or your patch didn’t get a lot of direct sun, give it a try. My garden is 4′ x 6′ and we’ve had corn every day this week. We only pick the 3 ripest cobs and eating them is pure heaven.
I cook fresh corn by boiling water in a kettle and tossing the cobs in and turning off the heat. In 10 minutes the corn is ready and it’s always perfectly cooked. You can cook corn this way in a cooler (or Esky) by putting the cobs in and pouring boiling water over them and shutting the lid.
I’ve tried the microwave method and I wasn’t happy and boiling is fine but my method is a no-brainer and the kernels are always tender. Give it a try, I swear by it.
That’s all the news that’s fit to print from the Sunshine Coast of Australia today. I hope your weekend is going brilliantly. Charlie says hello. He’s waiting for watering time because it’s a lot of fun to play in the mud. (not for me)
This is brilliant, Maureen… I love fresh, home-grown corn, and so does Peter… we have yet to grow it. I take my hat off to Rob, well done… and this post made me smile… lots!
Nothing beats the taste of home grown corn. We love to grow our own. Well done for making great use of a small space 🙂
The taste of freshly picked corn is quite amazing. We love growing it each year. Well done on making such great use of a small space 🙂
Corn has always been hard to grow at our place but my grandparents have higher hopes after reading this 😀 I can already taste the corn – delicious 😀
Cheers
CCU
Good looking’ ears there Maureen. I love it slathered in butter. And if you pull the husks down (but don’t pull them off) try slathering it in butter to which you add & mix lots of fresh coriander) – after you’ve slathered, wrap the husk back up around it – and BBQ. Awesome! Well done Rob!
Maureen I am super impressed with your corn. You don’t need much space to grow your own food. I love corn smothered in butter after it has been boiled for a bit. yum.
Nothing better than freshly grown produce. It taste heavenly. So happy that you were able to grow corn. I hope the beans are as delicious!
Remember that book Square Foot Gardening? Back in the 80s? (I think that’s when it was.) Anyway, that guy would grow corn in 4 x 4 foot square plots. I’ve never done it, but maybe should someday. Except we have enough racoons etc that I know we’d never get a chance at any. 🙁 I’ve heard of “cooking” corn in a cooler that way. Kinda down home sous vide. 😉
That is so inspiring! Corn is one of my favourite vegetables. I love the sweetness and I absolutely believe you when you say that it is the best corn ever when it’s freshly picked from your own garden 😀
Impressive looking corn!
Now that’s some good use of your space! Nothing better than corn whisked from the garden and eaten straightaway.
Fresh corn from your own garden. Is ANYTHING better! I’ll have to remember your method for cooking fresh corn when they’re available. Sounds quite easy.
My parents used to have some land in Homestead, Florida and grew corn which they sold at their roadside stand but I don’t recall them ever growing it here in Ontario, though you find it everywhere. I have NO idea why.
Your corn is great! I’ve been really impressed with how well baby corn grows even in courtyard vegetable planters – it seems pretty hardy and I love how tall it gets. I struggle to know when to pick baby corn though so we’ve had a fair few corns get eaten by ants before us :S
Home grown corn is a little piece of gold. Sweet and tender and free of all of those nasty things we can’t pronounce. It is amazing the things you can do in small spaces. Fun post! Thanks for all of the great ideas. Wishing you a super weekend. Take Care, BAM
My sister wrote an award-winning book called Potatoes on Rooftops (shameless plug) which is all about urban gardening. I just love seeing small and/or unusual spaces being used for such tastiness!
I wouldn’t even imagine that it will grow in the yard because to me when they say “corn field,” it has to be vast. This is amazing to me, Maureen. Boiled corn is always the best and I put a little butter or margarine. Thank you and have a good week ahead. 🙂
Exactly what I thought, Ray!
Nothing beats fresh homegrown veggies Maureen. I long for spring already! I suppose I’ll just have to watch your garden grow 🙂
You might need a bigger garden than mine but we’re having fun 🙂
How fun, who would have though? Rob looks like a sweetheart, a sweetheart with a very green thumb 🙂
Yes, nothing like hot well buttered – and dripping down the chin – corn-on-the-cob.
There is nothing better than fresh corn. I love to cut it straight off the cob and eat it in salads. I’m jealous of all your sunshine!
I wish we had some of that Australian sun here! I am so tired of cold weather. I didn’t think it would be worth it to grow corn in a small garden, but you’ve proven me wrong. Now if I could just grow a green thumb!
There are places over 110F in Australia that would happily swap for some cold air, Christin!
Dear Maureen, Fresh grown corn is the best.
Your method is the best for cooking corn. It always turns out good.
Charlie is adorable!
Blessings dear. Catherine xo
Dear Maureen, I am not sure if my comment took, so I am leaving you another comment.
Nothing like fresh corn and your cooking method is perfection. It always turns out good.
Give Charlie a hug for me.
Blessings dear. Catherine xo
Your corn looks gorgeous and perfect. I would have never guessed it would have grown so well in such a small space! Buddy our beagle loves the mud just like charlie, always getting in trouble.
Living in central Pennsylvania there are corn fields everywhere! Just one problem, most of it is feed corn for the milking cows. Lots of corn and cows in these parts, lol… If we are real lucky we can get our hands on “sweet” corn as opposed to cow corn but it’s really not likely for long periods of time. So, this year I am growing me some corn even if I have to plant it right in front of Marion’s window, lol…(she would love it:)
John has a point about that book Square Foot Gardening. I think it may be from the 70s though:) I’ve seen it republished lately because so many people like you and me just don’t have the “vast” amount of space for growing our own and we are heading toward a stellar year for home grown goodness:)
GREAT post, Maureen. Enjoy your harvests. Now, is it okay to say I kinda like that fence:)
LOL about putting it in front of Marion’s window. Rob has a tiny courtyard off his bedroom and he’s got tomato plants in it 🙂
Oh yeah! I love corn. especially steam corn. my tooth is not that strong.
I’ve missed you, Maureen, but I’m back. I love this post! What a great idea and it just goes to show, you don’t need a huge amount of space to be able to feed yourself. I bet your corn tastes incredible and just because you grew it yourself in a space where you didn’t think anything could grow. How long did it take from planting to harvest? Charlie is too cute xx
Maureen – just wow! I am so in awe of this small patch with beautiful corn ears! Your post has inspired me to try and grow corn this summer in my garden – thank you!
I love the pictures of both Rob and Charlie. How very inspiring to know you can grow something so beautiful in such a small space
eheheh…Hi Charlie! Hi Maureen…love your corn story. 🙂 ela
Nothing, absolutely nothing beats homegrown things. How I miss having a garden where sun reaches…
You can visit anytime and borrow our sun. 🙂
i didn’t have a garden this year. Our trees are getting to big and I need to find a new spot. Plus the rabbits kill everything. But this corn looks might good. I love corn, grew up in Illinois and it is in my blood!
I love how he made it work in space that many would ignore! I’ve got a really small yard now and the houses behind be block afternoon sun (I’m HAPPY with that) so it will be interesting to see how much I can manage when I start to build a garden. Never know, might have to try a stalk or two!
I’m eager to see how your new place develops, Barb!
I tried to grow corn once, but it just wasn’t warm enough I guess. All I got were little cobs that weren’t good for much except, literally, the birds. I had whole flocks swoop down and feed off the corn silk and kernelets. I can’t really call them kernels. Maybe I should try again. We’re in a different house in a much warmer area of town (not nearly so much summer fog) and I’m itching to do spring planting soon!
Nothing beats the taste of home grown veggies, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a lot of space you can always grow something even if its in a tub! Bet they tasted delicious 🙂
I love gardening and am a big believer in it doesn’t matter how much space you have you can always grow something. And you have proved that with this delicious looking corn! Bet it tasted great 🙂
I love efficiency gardening and I love Rob! He’s is terrific. Great article, Maureen!
Great post and totally agree about growing in a small patch! W grow corn in a 4×4 box on the roof, we can grow 12-16 corn in each. Every summer it just gets me so excited! High 5!
I’ll have to search your blog for photos of that!
See, Maureen, you can have a vegetable garden after all. Those ear of corns sure are perfect. Rob knows what he is doing, the beans will climb up the corn stalks so there will be no need for staking.
Yes, you’re right, Norma!
Oh Maureen is there anything better than the sweetest of sweet corn? I am so so very impressed! Well done Rob!
It’s like eating candy with butter on it, Claire 🙂
Well you’ve got me beat on this gardening endeavor, Maureen! We’ve tried to grow corn here on our SC acreage and failed both times! Please HELP me know what we’re doing wrong….totally full sun, a fairly amended soil, water. What gives? I would jump a mile high for some super sweet fresh off the stalk corn on the cub drizzling with warm butter!
I have grown corn successfully quite a few times but usually a much bigger patch than this. 🙂 I have a lot of compost in the soil and I make the patch square so it ensures better pollination. I hill the rows and plant 3 seeds about 12-18 inches apart. When they come up I remove the two weakest plants. I kept the watered and weeded and hoed up around their feet and corn happened. 🙂 I think a trick that worked for me was to ask at the garden center just down the street from us what the best variety for growing in our area was. I like the white/gold combination and he said it would grow.
Oh, Maureen, I love fresh corn. It looks so tasty and perfect.
Well done! We’ve tried growing corn, but we didn’t turn out gorgeous cobs like you have! Rob obviously knows what he’s doing! He has to bow to you, but I suspect you owe him a bow or two as well.. 🙂
Corn in your own backyard!? Now that is awesome! While I was a kid we had our own farms and I remember plucking the fresh corn and roasting the corn on cob over an open pit fire, smearing it with some salt and lemon juice. It was fun! Your post took me down the memory lane my friend 🙂
You certainly made Rob’s day 😀
There is nothing better than a perfect bite of fresh corn, slathered in butter and speckled with salt, washed down with a crisp, cold glass of rose.
Thanks for the inspiration to grow our own!
How brilliant! There really is nothing like fresh home-grown corn. I was beyond excited that I managed to get a handful of tiny chillies off my balcony of death plant this year ;D
The best corn is always what is picked and eaten within an hour. I bet yours is wonderful. 🙂
It wouldn’t be fancy like your corn grown in a proper garden but it was SO good. I boiled the water and then picked the corn. A-mazing.
wow nice work! i would love to have such space to grow corn!
You sure did take advantage of every inch of your yard! What a great harvest. I’m so impressed 🙂 That photo of your neighbor is priceless!
There is nothing quite as perfect as homegrown corn. Thanks for the inspiration!
I am SO impressed! 🙂 I haven’t attempted growing corn here yet, but you have inspired me. 🙂 I shall add it to my list of seeds to get. 🙂 XO
If we could grow corn in a 4×6 plot, imagine what you could do!
I hope I will learn how to plant, I an bad with it all I can grow are weed 🙂
I will have to add corn to my garden based on that post… my passionfruit vine is huge and yielding no fruit!! I love fresh corn!
as the daughter of a corn farmer yes you can my friend and I love that it was such a small patch. the corn looked perfect too!
Now that’s a good-looking ear of corn!!! I can’t believe you grew corn in your little space! O.K. now you have me curious. I have a stretch on the west wall that is bear and since it’s an ugly tall cinderblock wall, corn would look much better. Thanks for the inspiration Maureen, John and FIL!!!
I love that you grew corn…. I used to garden a lot, but never grew corn. You FIL looks so happy with his fresh corn on the cob. 🙂
Thats AWESOME!! My brothers building has started a communal garden and in their ‘communal store’ they had baby corns. Yours look amazing!
I’m going to try and grow corn myself this year… not sure if it will work – probably not since the summer lasts for about 2 months but hey, I gotta try, right? 😀
My wife makes the best corn – rub it with butter, wrap it in foil and chuck it in the oven. Makes the most moist, succulent, juicy corn imaginable… so much better than boiling it!
I’ll have to try your wife’s idea! Sounds really good.
Wow, I had no idea you could grow corn in such a small plot of land! The house I’m moving to has a very small yard and I’m hoping to try to grow a few things though I have zero gardening experience 🙂