A young Indian brave named Squanto helped the pilgrims learn about planting corn. When he put the seeds into the ground he also placed a dead fish in the hole. No, he wasn't growing fish, he was fertilizing the soil.
In the high desert we don't have a local fish market, but we do have plenty of cow and horse manure available, and it does essentially the same thing.
Several people have given up trying to raise sweet corn, yet when they buy it from a store it tastes more like field corn than sweet corn. The old method of starting the water boiling in the pot before you pick the sweet corn is true. The sugars in sweet corn turn immediately to starch upon being picked. Corn sweetness lasts about three days depending on the variety as well as location. For best results keep corn refrigerated.
When you plant corn, choose corn with several growing periods so you will have a continuous supply of ripe corn to eat. Place the corn in either the north or the east part of your garden so as not to shade your other veggies. When the corn is harvested, do not let the stalks just stand there attracting borers or micro-organisms, till them into the soil. They do have lots of good food yet to feed your earthworms and the friendly microorganisms.
Always plant corn either in rows or circles so that they will be pollinated. When planting in rows, plant each seed about eight to ten inches apart. Plant several short rows, also eight to ten inches apart. The other way is to plant about eight to ten seeds in a circle. That way they will be pollinated, regardless of the wind direction.
Side dress the plants when they get about six inches tall and again when they first start getting cobs. When the silk appears on the stalk, put a couple of drops of mineral oil on each of them. This will keep the earworms off.
Harvest the corn when the kernels are at the milky stage. Make a little slit in the husk while it is still on the stalk, and if the kernels look full and yellow, give one of them the thumbnail test. If white liquid squirts out, the corn is ready to pick.