Harvesting corn early due to frost?

[raymondo]

My first time ever corn growing season has gone very badly. I planted late, and far too close together. The worst of it is that I did it for a friend who has been unable to grow her flour corn for some years due to rodents, both four-legged and winged. Anyway, the corn did produce cobs, mostly stingy little things but cobs nevertheless. The kernels are well-formed but soft as the plants are some way off drying down. We are now into frost territory with the first, luckily very light, frost yesterday.

I want to salvage what I can for my friend's sake and I'm worried that frost will damage the corn that has formed. Can I harvest the cobs and bring them indoors to dry down? Or should I pull up entire plants and bring them indoors?

[Joseph Lofthouse]

My flour corn is very moist when i pick it,
which I normally do the night before the first
really hard frost is expected.

There might be a couple of light frosts before
then which I don't worry about. They might kill
some of the leaves, but they don't penetrate
the husk.

I shuck the corn in the field while I am harvesting
it, and store the cobs in a warmish dry area in
open baskets so that they can air dry.

If I leave the husks on, or if the cobs are too tightly
packed in the baskets they turn moldy.

This year I am adding Painted Mountain Corn to my
garden. Maybe it will dry down sooner.

Regards,
Joseph

[raymondo]

Thanks Joseph. Much appreciated information. I'll keep an eye on the weather and bring it in before a hard frost is forecast.

[grunt]

Joseph: I'm growing Painted Mountain for the first time this year, and Bear Island for the second time. I think the Bear Island might be even earlier, if You would like seed for it?