Sweet corn, extra early

When early transplanted cabbage, broccoli or kohlrabi plants have been growing in the garden for two or three weeks but it is yet two or three weeks too early to sow sweet corn, make holes about an inch deep and wide between the plants and in each drop two or three selected, well formed and heavy kernels of sweet corn of an early variety such as Golden Bantam or Peep O'Day, and press the soil down hard on them with the heel. A large walking stick is just the thing to make the holes because it will reduce the amount of stooping.

The trick may fail because the ground may be too cold and wet to encourage the corn to sprout, so a poor stand may result; a late spring frost may come and the plants be frozen, but usually the cabbage leaves will protect the corn plants from the morning sun and thus save them. For a time the two crops will be growing together in the same rows, but the cabbage will have been pulled before the corn needs all the space so no conflict will occur.

When this stunt succeeds it is well worth the small effort and when it fails the cost will have been only a little seed, time and effort. It is one of those tricks by which an amateur may steal a march on his rivals and crow because he has the first early corn.