We do this every year…but why? Well if the plants stay under the plastic for too long, the sun will bleach the leaves and the young plant will die a very sad death. But why does this matter so much?

A corn plant is an amazing food factory and the incredible journey that corn makes before it becomes that delightful summertime treat is very well designed!

Sweet corn seed looks much like a raisin when it arrives on our farm. Once it is planted in the ground, it begins to germinate and plumps up with moisture activating the factory! The seed sprouts and feeds the developing plant until it reaches the 5-6 leaf stage. At this point, it will transfer the responsibility of food production to the roots and the green leaves are a critical part of this. The dark green colour allows the leaves to absorb the sun’s energy and transport that energy down to the roots…A-MAIZING!

Another very cool point of interest is how the leaves are designed to funnel any moisture, including dew, down to the area right closest to the root zone. As the plant grows, more and more leaves participate in this process and one of natures most productive factories flourishes!

66 SLEEPS!!