The Year I Grew Sweetcorn
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (352955)
Rockingham, Australia
September 16, 2022 8:03am CST
MyLotter Fleur (@Fleura) wrote about the sweetcorn she grew. You can catch up here: https://www.mylot.com/post/3525469/my-attempts-to-grow-sweetcorn
I was reminded of the time I had it in our vegetable garden. It was back in about 1976 and we’d just bought five acres on the outskirts of Esperance in Western Australia.
A portion of the backyard was fenced off as a chook-yard (chook = hen). We partitioned off about half the yard to use as a vegetable garden. Because it had been a chook-yard for some years, the soil was a mix of earth and chook manure, which meant that the vegetables grew really well.
When you planted seeds or seedlings, you had to step back quickly before the plants hit you under the chin. That’s how fast they grew. 
(That’s also a joke.)
Anyway, the sweetcorn did wonderfully well. I really enjoyed being able to go out at five o’clock, pick a few ears of corn and be eating them shortly after.
The photo is of our house-sit place.
(That’s also a joke.)
Anyway, the sweetcorn did wonderfully well. I really enjoyed being able to go out at five o’clock, pick a few ears of corn and be eating them shortly after.
The photo is of our house-sit place.22 people like this
23 responses
@BarBaraPrz (49578)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
16 Sep 22
I see daffodils! And I thought 'daffodils?' until I remembered you're going into spring not fall.
4 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (49578)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
17 Sep 22
@JudyEv I can't imagine freesias being a pest, they're so lovely.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (352955)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 22
@BarBaraPrz If, for instance, bulbs are chucked out on a rubbish heap, they just keep multiplying and spreading each year. Mostly it doesn't matter but sometimes they go where they're not wanted.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (49578)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
17 Sep 22
@rebelann Yeah! I wants a porch, too.
2 people like this
@rebelann (113918)
• El Paso, Texas
17 Sep 22
Wow, I'll bet that the house itself is protected from the worst of the heat and cold.
@xFiacre (13573)
• Ireland
16 Sep 22
@judyev That’s how our veggie patch was in Malawi. No sooner did you plant something than it was on the table. Drying clothes was the same - as soon as a line of wet clothes was hung out you started at the beginning again taking it down dry. Of course we had people to cook and clean for us so we didn’t reap any benefit!
2 people like this
@xFiacre (13573)
• Ireland
17 Sep 22
@JudyEv We had a gardener, houseboy, cook, washer woman and nanny. Such information gives a rather negatively-slanted view of our family perhaps. What a come-down it was coming back to Ireland and discovering that clothes didn’t wash themselves.
1 person likes this
@Chellezhere (5816)
• United States
16 Sep 22
"Knee-high by the 4th of July" has been a good omen for a high-yielding corn crop in the USA for ages.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (352955)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 22
@Chellezhere Nothing - except that now most of us know it's important to Americans.
1 person likes this
@Chellezhere (5816)
• United States
17 Sep 22
@JudyEv Why would you? What does the 4th of July mean to Australians and New Zealanders?
1 person likes this
@oahuwriter (26777)
• United States
17 Sep 22
Yes, fresh vegetables out of a garden, unbeatable taste! My Aunt's father in law had a garden in California, when I visited, way back in the 70s. My Uncle locally to bought small land and grew vegetables which he shared with his sister, my Mom, navy when. Taste, terrific, fresh veggies, back when.
2 people like this
@oahuwriter (26777)
• United States
18 Sep 22
@JudyEv
Yes, it's a blast of freshness.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (145363)
• India
16 Sep 22
The wild trees in the garden which are there by choice do not let the garden to grow the way it did when there were no such trees. But I prefer the look - cool and lush green
2 people like this
@FourWalls (74516)
• United States
16 Sep 22
I miss eating corn, especially fresh off the corn stalk! Sweet childhood, where my grandmother would go out into her garden and get the corn we’d have for lunch. And you weren’t exaggerating too much about the way corn grows in proper conditions! 
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (147754)
• United States
16 Sep 22
Mom and dad gave my youngest brother, Mark, and I a space for our own garden. It used to be a chicken yard, too. I don't remember our ages but the veggies we planted were really tall and delicious from our garden.2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (147754)
• United States
17 Sep 22
@JudyEv All fresh manure can burn plants but when aged just right, it will grow the best crops.
2 people like this
@Beestring (15335)
• Hong Kong
16 Sep 22
I love sweetcorn. I sometimes have pork with cream corn rice.
2 people like this
@Beestring (15335)
• Hong Kong
17 Sep 22
@JudyEv That's a very common Chinese dish here.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (94526)
• Arvada, Colorado
16 Sep 22
Haha that is a funny joke.
I never knew the beauty of Australia now Judy til I saw these house sits you do.
I am stunned it is so lovely there.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (94526)
• Arvada, Colorado
18 Sep 22
@JudyEv Yes I see, though I did adore your little place the big ranch when you had it.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (352955)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 22
@RebeccasFarm That is only about 15 minutes from here. We visited our old neighbours there but you can't see much of our place from their place - just the paddocks.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (115835)
• Marion, Ohio
16 Sep 22
That would be great soil to plant in.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (188287)
• United States
17 Sep 22
There's nothing like fresh picked sweet corn.
1 person likes this
@Butterfingers (66607)
• India
16 Sep 22
I like sweet corns but I don't know the tedious process of how it's produced
2 people like this
