Some sweetcorn for me, example Kandy Korn, has never had deep kernals. The ear size is OK but the kernel just isn't much. Last year I grew Mirai 301. The kernels are nice and deep and the corn stores 10 days after harvest in good shape in the frig. This year I tried another augmented supersweet. It's kernels aren't as deep and it won't store 10 days.

To have big ears you need big stalks and big dark green leaves. Are your plants big and dark green? Are the stalks near one inch diameter? More details or a picture of your corn would help.

Drought and planting too thick are common downfalls.

1. variety 2. maybe your guidelines are too rigid. Corn grows well under a variety of conditions. Very easy if you have space.
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Some [most] extra early varieties are not worth growing and tend to have small ears. Also too thick planting [the density usually mentioned by growers of limited space] will give small ears. Big dark green corn with enough spacing that is not in too wet areas will give nice ears.

I'm planting Peaches & Cream variety. Realistically, I probably don't have adequate space for corn in my 30' x 40'garden . I plant 6 - 30' rows two feet apart with 8"-10" between plants.

Handsome:

Your spacing is adequate. Perhaps it's the variety. At that spacing you should get nice ears if the corn gets adequate water and nitrogen.

Handsome,

I have the exact spacing and size of garden and I've also planted Peaches & Cream. This is my first time planting corn so I didn't know what to expect. My plants have been odd and random too.

Problems I've had: The first 2 rows on one side were smaller than the others. Many of the plants sent up multiple shoots so they were a tad "bushy" instead of more stalk like. Some plants went variegated. Some sent out "un-sheathed" ears. And I have never seen plants that attracted SO many pests of both the critter type and fungal.

My ears have come out random. Some super skinny and kernels not well-formed on the cob. But some have come out just as large and perfect as you'd see in the store. (I am growing organically by the way.)

But in all, the taste of all the ears has been wonderful! At first I thought I'd never do corn again because of all the pests, but I think I may give it a shot again next year. Good luck!

Sunny Dee, thanks for the analogy! This is about my fourth year of growing corn, and I have to say I've yet to raise a decent crop......... I'm learning as I go, but I'm becoming a bit skeptical. It shouldn't be this difficult! I've yet to harvest a single edible ear this season, although the coons don't seem to mind the poor quality.

I have planted heirloom corn now for three years. First Golden bantam,then Stowells evergreen. Poor crops each time and I spend a lot of time in the garden doing what I believe is necessary for a good crop with little results. Until this year. This time I planted Buhl yellow sweet corn and it has been nothing short of a miracle. Uniform in color and kernel size, almost like what you would expect from a hybrid. You will never find an open pollinated corn to match a hybrid. It just will not happen. They have worked on hybrid sweet corn for fifty years now and have it down to a science. I planted ten inches apart and rows one foot apart. The stuff is just beautiful! Taste is good too. Very happy with this variety. Will plant it next year for sure.