just gently peel back the leaves covering a cob . if it looks like a cob youd buy and most of the yellow corn is properly formed and the grassy stuff turned darker colour then its ready . what happens if you leave it too long is it will go hard when you cook it . too early and it will taste sweeter but you wont get so much but it will be lovley . you can after all eat baby corn hole . I would pick earlier rather than late . buy a good one from a shop and look at it and put your nail in it to see how juicy it is .

Here's my method-If it looks good enough to spread butter and sprinkle some salt on it, it's ready.

Found out on Youtube that you have to wait for the silks to die right back so that the silks are crispy :o)) Also found out that your supposed to take the tip of the flower out and put the pollen on the silks, I didn't do that but they seem ok :o))

you don't have to do the last bit with the pollen . can you imagine a farmer in the usa doing that to his corn cobs over a few hundred acres . that's why yours are alright . the fruit or cob comes after the pollenisation .

Ha! Ha! Yes, Noseypotter, I have enough to do in this household without the worry of doing the pollination bit LOL. :o))