Got some cobs forming, but not sure if they are ready yet or not.
Worry not; there are a few simple things you can do to find out if your corn is ready to harvest.
Tassels
One of the more obvious signs that your sweetcorn is ready is the tassels that hang out of the end of the ear of corn.
When these turn brown, it is a sign that your cob is well on its way to being harvestable.
If they are still yellowy/green like the photo above, then they are not ready yet.
Each one of these tassels will be attached to a single kernel of corn on your cob.
When the pollen lands on the tassel, it travels down it and then pollinates a single kernel of corn.
Once this has happened, the tassel turns brown.
So when all of the tassels on your corn have turned brown, you know your corn has been pollinated.
From pollination, it takes less than two weeks for the corn to develop fully.
If your tassels have been looking like this for a week or two, then there is a good chance your sweetcorn is ready to harvest.
But there is one more test you can do to be double sure.
The Fingernail Test
This is the undisputed best way of knowing for sure, but it is a little destructive.
You want to start by carefully pulling back the outer layers on your ear of corn.
You just want to push them to the side without damaging them to get to the corn inside.
Once you can access the corn, you want to squish one of the kernels with your fingernail.
Look carefully at the liquid that comes out.
If it is clear, the corn is not ready yet; if it is milky, you are good to go!
You can see above that I got a milky yellow liquid out of the kernel, so this cob can be harvested right now.