Mini sweetcorn Snobaby - Zea mays

'Snobaby' is a breakthrough variety of baby sweetcorn that is very early-cropping. It produces tender white kernels with a delicious sweet flavour. Ideal for oriental cuisine! Sow in spring and harvest as soon as the ears measure between 5 and 10 cm long.

Sweetcorn (Zea mays), is a form of maize that has a particularly high sugar content due to a naturally occurring genetic mutation. It belongs to the Gramineae family alongside wheat, barley and rice. It is highly nutritious, containing more protein and five times more fibre than rice. It is also an excellent source of B vitamins, vitamin C, minerals and trace elements. It has a low glycemic index.

Sweetcorn likes deep, light, damp soil that is rich in organic matter. It is a heat-loving plant that needs plenty of sunshine to grow. It can be used to create attractive borders around your vegetable garden and individual plots whilst providing valuable shade for vegetables such as lettuces or cabbages.

Harvesting: Sweetcorn is harvested 80 to 120 days after sowing depending on the amount of sunshine and water it has received. The ears are ready to be picked when the silks start to turn brown and the kernels are well developed. Check for ripeness by piercing a kernel with your fingernail - it should be tender and milky. When harvested too late, the sugars turn into starch and the skin becomes tough.

Storing: after harvesting, remove the green husk that is wrapped around the ear. Use quickly, the fresher the better! Sweetcorn can also be cooked and frozen or preserved in jars for later use.

Good to know: Traditionally, maize crops were grown alongside squash and bean plants in Central and South America in a system known as Milpa agriculture. Beans would enrich the soil with nitrogen, squash plants would act as ground cover and maize plants would provide support for the beans to scramble up. Start out by sowing your maize plants. When they are about 10 cm tall, sow 2 bean seeds and 2 squash seeds around each young plant.