Zea mays var. rugosa 'Minipop'

RHS Plant Profile

sweet corn 'Minipop'

Annual Biennial

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These baby sweetcorn are easy to grow and great for a smaller plot. This variety produces about five sweet, crunchy baby sweetcorn per plant. Harvest them as soon as the silks appear and the tassels darken (about 10cm long) to avoid pollination. Delicious steamed or raw and much better than shop bought! Sow indoors: March to May. Sow / plant outdoors: May to June. Harvest: July to October

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1 year
Max Spread: 0.5-1 metres
Max Height: 1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Neutral or Alkaline

Position

Full sun

Aspect: East–facing or West–facing or South–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H2

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Poaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: A genus of five, large, flowering plants the grass family. The most important species, Zea mays is widely cultivated food crop. Male flowers are borne in large, terminal inflorescences (tassels) and female flowers are hidden in clusters in the leaf axils
Name Status: Unresolved

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in a sunny, sheltered spot in soil that has been enriched with well-rotted organic matter. Sweetcorn can tolerate many soil types but prefers well-drained soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. Harvest from July to October. See sweetcorn cultivation for futher information.

Propagation

Sow seeds undercover from March to May in pots or modules and then plant out May - June after hardening off and the last frosts have passed. Alternatively sow 'in situ' from late spring to early summer. Always plant in a grid pattern to ensure pollination. See sowing vegetable seeds

Pruning

No pruning required.

Pests

May be susceptible to damage from birds, slugs, mice and badgers.

Diseases

May be susceptible to smuts which appear as large galls on the cobs and stalks in hot weather.