Most of the vegetables you grow yourself will taste better than anything you can buy in the supermarket.

It’s partly because of the sense of satisfaction that you get from doing something for yourself.

It’s also partly because the varieties that you grow yourself are chosen for their flavour and not because they keep well or stand rough handling without showing the blemishes.

But it is mostly because the vegetables you grow yourself are really, really fresh.

Fresh veg really does taste quite different. And none more so than sweetcorn. Sweetcorn begins to change pretty much the moment it is picked. It becomes less sweet and more starchy.

In the United States it is often packed into boxes of ice in the fields to try to keep it fresh and freezer companies invest huge amounts of time and energy getting their corn processed as quickly as possible.

But nothing will ever be as fresh as the stuff you grow yourself.

Sweetcorn is very easy to grow yourself and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

In our relatively cool climate you won’t get huge yields but the quality alone makes it worthwhile.

There is a wide range of varieties available to grow.

You can choose from miniature, multi-coloured, corn for popping and supersweet varieties.

F1 hybrids are reliable and vigorous but they will tend to be ready to harvest all at the same time which might be convenient for farmers but is not so handy for gardeners.

Sweetcorn is wind pollinated so you need to plant it in blocks rather than rows. You can sow the seed directly into the ground or start it off under cover in pots. Once the plants get going they are generally untroubled by pests.

You can tell when the corn is ready because the tassels on the ends of the cobs start to shrivel and turn brown.

If you’re not completely sure the corn is ready to eat you can gently peel back the tips of outer leaves and take a peek. Have your pan boiling before you pick them and you’ll enjoy a treat like no other.