Heat and plenty of rain making sweet corn yields even sweeter

London, Ont. -

The hot and often rainy summer is making it a banner season for sweet corn. That’s according to Reg Thomas Sr. at Thomas Brothers Farm Market in Lambeth.

“The pace is just phenomenal, of course that’s from the heat and the moisture,” he said.

Fresh from the stock and straight to the market stalls, customers are grabbing it up as quickly as it’s coming in.

“It’s wonderful, excellent, sweet, tasty, it’s great,” said Nancy, a long-time customer who has already tried this year’s corn.

Thomas says picking began last week, with their first yields coming on a week to 10 days earlier than normal.

“Originally they said it was going to be a dry, hot summer and it’s been not even close to that. So we’ve been getting our times where the real intense heat has brought things on a lot quicker than normal. And with the moisture that we did have, it looks like it’s going to be a prosperous summer for us.”

Thomas says he’s seen a change in the seasonal weather patterns, making for a longer season.

“It seems like the springs and the falls are expanding a little bit more, but you never know again. You could have that freak frost and you could wipe yourself out.”

He adds that if the harvest goes as well as the growing season has gone, they can expect to be picking corn until as late as Thanksgiving.