Usually those cultivars will be ready at full brown silk. You can always open the tipe of one ear and inspect. If the grains are full, it is ready. If not just tape it back shut for a couple of more days. Silver Princess should be ready about a week or so before Silver King with Silver Queen bringing up the rear in about a week later. Thats assuming that you planted them at the same time.

Thanks farmidilla!
I did plant them at the same time.
I will wait a couple of more days to see if any silk turns completely brown.

lsst:

The silks don't matter. Look at the kernels. The ears will feel plump and full when it is ripe. If you are experienced you can tell by feeling the ear and how full it feels. But, as farmidilla said, you need to open an ear and look at the kernels if you can't tell by feel.

Just to chime in here -
Usually the corn is done about 20 days after you begin to see the silk emerge.

I use clothes pines and use a marker to put the date on it - then attach it to the corn stalk. Then 20 days later, I'll come back in and harvest the corn. Usually the silk is fully brown by this point as well - and I've always had great luck with this strategey.

Here is a link that might be useful: BsnTech Gardening Blog

Here is what I learned this year about corn.
1. each silk really is attached to each kernel and must recieve pollen in order for that kernel to ripen. I found a soft paint brush effective in scooping up the pollen from the corn leaves and dusting the silks to ensure good pollination. If you planted densly the pollen wont find the silks.
2. As was mentioned before you can tell by feeling up the ears what has matured and what hasn't, It helps to play some 70's style porno music for this part! I found my top level corn ears fully developed and the lower ears only about half developed.
3. Once the ear is fully developed it can be harvested however the longer you leave it on the stalk the sweeter it will be. I promise. Once and done, dont expect more from the plant as once it has produced its done. You can get more ears from lower nodes but only the top most ears will be the best!
Good luck with that! I had great success and will be going for it again in the fall. I ended up with 25 ears out of one earthbox swc! I had 17 stalks packed in there!

{{gwi:73591}}

Thanks everyone.
Unfortunately, I did not count my days.
This is my first year growing corn.
I will open an ear and look at it.

Just to add more.... If you pick the ears early in the morning before the heat of the day gets to them they are much sweeter than if you pick in the afternoon. The starches turn to sugars during the cooler night and the heat turns the sugars to starches during the heat of the day. Also when it is ripe pick it. If you let it stay too long it will be starchy and not as good. A good indicator is to strip an ear and bust a kernel. If the kernal is ripe it will be fully formed and will have a creamy consistancy to the liquid. If they are not fully formed and the liquid is clear it is still too early. If the kernels are starting to wrinkle and the inside is not very juicy it is over ripe....still decent but not great. Keep in mind that all the kernels may not have been pollinated so there may be blanks. I then take the test ear and eat it raw in the garden.... See no waste. I do feel the outside of the ear on the stalk and take what my hands felt thru the husk and compare that with what is actually on the cob and note if I was wrong or right for future knowledge, comparisons and also faster picking.

Hope that helps.

I have (4) 70' rows to pick this week/weekend

Carl Edwards

Silver Princess {{gwi:34572}}

Silver King {{gwi:73592}}

Carl, Picking in the AM for evening cooking might not work so good with SU (normal sweet) varieties. I've always used the 30-minute rule when possible for SU corn--don't pick it until 30 minutes before you serve it steaming hot on the dinner table.

Thanks everyone!

I just picked two of the larger Silver Princess.
I have water boiling.
How do these look?
Should I have left them a couple of days longer so that the top kernels could have filled out more?
The juice was milky white.
The silk had died back to the top of the ear but when I shucked it there was a lot of fresh silk within the ear.
Also, about 3/4 of the way down the cob on each one is a little sooty gray patch on a couple of kernels. What is that?
The ears are still smaller than what I would buy at the grocery store.
{{gwi:73593}}

Looks good from here. Actually unless you want to pick it all at one time for processing or market, it is better to start picking early. You can extend the harvest over a week or so.

Thanks farmerdilla!
They tasted very good and sweet but the kernels were skimpy.
I think you mentioned that Silver Princess is a smaller ear compared to Silver King and Queen.

I am learning so much from this thread! My corn will be ready to harvest in days! :-) Ally

I also start picking 5-7 days before peak quality to extend the crop. If you do this you will soon learn what maturity suits you best. My sister likes it when it's starting to dent/shrivel. I prefer full ears but it's good before that stage.