What's eating my baby sweetcorn?

Baby sweetcorn shares the same pest threats as full-sized sweetcorn — corn earworm and birds top the list — but its shorter growing window and dense plantings reduce total exposure. Wildlife raiders (badgers, squirrels) are just as attracted to immature cobs. Net the block and monitor silks as soon as they emerge.

Larvae enter via silks and feed on immature kernels; harvesting baby corn early (before silks dry) reduces window for infestation. Apply Bt spray to silks; harvest cobs very early (1–3 days after silk emergence) which is the key commercial practice for baby corn.

Peck up seeds and seedlings; rip husks from forming cobs. Net beds immediately after sowing; use bird-scaring devices during germination and cob set.

Ragged damage on young seedling leaves and stems, especially in wet conditions. Apply ferric phosphate pellets at sowing; use nematodes (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita) in moist soil; avoid over-watering seedbeds.

Colonies on tassels and upper leaves; honeydew and sooty mould; can impair pollination if left unchecked. Encourage hoverflies and ladybirds; insecticidal soap spray if numbers are high before tasselling.