My Sweet Corn Reviews

[Luremaker]

With summer approaching I am getting ready to order my corn seed. I have been planting between 1 and 2 acres of sweet hybrid corn for the the past five summers now with varying results. I live in Grey County, Ontario (zone 5) where we usually have cool springs because of our proximity to Lake Huron and Georgian Bay and long warm summers with lots of thunder storms beginning late July. Our area is likely windier than most. I usually plant the last week of May or the first week of June.

Here is a list of sweet corn hybrids that I have grown, in patches 1/8 acre of more, along with a short review of my experiences growing them. I'd like to hear your experiences with different sweet corn hybrids, especially ones planted in northern cooler areas. This summer I plan to plant peaches and cream, trinity, and superstar and will consider other recommended varieties.

Sunnyvee su: (60 day) Yellow Grown one dry and hot summer only - very quick to germinate and developed into a rather thin short plant around 5' tall. Wind could actually knock the plants over. Ears were around 7 inches long. Taste was average. Raccoons developed a love for this corn and had raiding parties every night. Around 70% of the plants produced harvestable ears, I picked less than 10%. I am unlikely to replant Sunnyvee.

Bodacious se: (72 day) Yellow Grown two summers - Grown one dry and hot summer and last summer which was much cooler than average. developed into a huge thick plant over 7' tall. Easily withstood our winds. Ears were around 8 inches long. Taste was above average. Raccoons avoided this patch completely even though is was only a short distance from the Sunnyvee patch. Over 90% of the plants produced harvestable ears. I would be happy to plant Bodacious in the future but people seem to prefer bi-color corn.

Sugar Baby se: (61 day) Bi Color Grown one summer only - developed into an average plant around 6' tall. Easily with stood our winds. Ears were between 7 & 8 inches long. Taste was average. Raccoons avoided this patch completely. Around 60% of the plants produced harvestable ears.

Peaches and Cream se: (70 Day) Bi Color - Grown five summers - my overall favorite. Developed into an average plant around 6' tall. Easily withstood our winds. Ears average 7 inches long. Taste was above average. Raccoons would visit a few times a week but caused little damage. Around 85% of the plants produced harvestable ears..

 

[Oleozz]

That's a nice pic of your corn. We raise and sell what people in this area are familiar with; Silver King (white), Incredible (yellow), and Ambrosia (bicolor). The Silver King and Incredible are extremely popluar. All three varieties are SE and have a fairly long shelf life. The King and Incredible produce big ears and have about an 84 day growing period. We have some older folks who buy the Ambrosia and they claim it is easier to digest.

 

[scott_vt]

That's a nice pic of your corn. We raise and sell what people in this area are familiar with; Silver King (white), Incredible (yellow), and Ambrosia (bicolor). The Silver King and Incredible are extremely popluar. All three varieties are SE and have a fairly long shelf life. The King and Incredible produce big ears and have about an 84 day growing period. We have some older folks who buy the Ambrosia and they claim it is easier to digest.

Good Evenin Oleozz,
My Uncle Dave grows a fair sized patch of Silver Queen every year, thats located in East Wells, Vt. We are at about 1200 ft above sea level, so in a cool enviroment also... This variety seems to grow quite well here and is very tasty IMO !

 

[Duffster]

Just picked up our Bodacious seed last week. :licking:

 

[Oleozz]

Hi Scotty----From what I've been told the Silver King is hardier and more disease resistant than the Queen and the King also has a higher sugar content. There are folks around who advertise their corn as Silver Queen (since it's such a recognizable name) but in reality are selling the King.

 

[Luremaker]

Around here everyone wants bi-color sweet corn. I'll have to see if I can find Silver King seed just to give it a try as I have never grown a white corn variety. I am hoping to find a bi-color which can be picked in late July. Does anyone know if seeds can be mailed across the border?

 

[westbrooklawn]

Fifty plus years ago when I was a young pup, we always went to the local farms (S.E. NY and Northern NJ), to buy fresh sweet corn. Our favorite was a brand called "Luther Hill"... small ears with a white kernel. Don't know if it is even available any more, especially with all the hybrids and engineered varieties. If you can find seed, I would highly recommend planting some to see how you like it.

 

[charlz]

Gotta Have It: (78 day) Bi Color 'Augmented Shrunken' Not sure what that type is. Grown three summers. Thick plant about 6' tall that withstands our wind storms easily. Ears are 7-8 inches long. Very sweet and holds flavor for days in the refrigerator. I can harvest a patch over 2 weeks or so before it is too far along. Must have warm soils to germinate, if you plant too early or if the weather turns it won't germinate properly, I can't plant until mid June or so. Also needs a fairly shallow planting depth, about 1". Freezes well with very good flavor. Downside is it ruins you for store bought corn so you have to load up the freezer in the summer :laughing:

 

[BungeeII]

My father-in-law looked for Silver King seed up here, but could not find it. (That's what he always planted down in KY)

We have 2 gardens and have only grown corn 1 year. One seed was Illini Xtra Sweet.:licking: Good stuff! Hearty plant, good yield, wonderful sweet corn flavor. Has frozen very well, too.

The other was Serendipity. Smaller plant, smaller ears, smaller kernels. Sweeter but not "good eating" like we enjoyed with the Illini.

We'll plant more Illini this year, and probably a bit of Bodacious, as it was recommended some time after we planted ours.

 

[Oleozz]

My father-in-law looked for Silver King seed up here, but could not find it. (That's what he always planted down in KY)

We have 2 gardens and have only grown corn 1 year. One seed was Illini Xtra Sweet.:licking: Good stuff! Hearty plant, good yield, wonderful sweet corn flavor. Has frozen very well, too.

The other was Serendipity. Smaller plant, smaller ears, smaller kernels. Sweeter but not "good eating" like we enjoyed with the Illini.

We'll plant more Illini this year, and probably a bit of Bodacious, as it was recommended some time after we planted ours.

You can order Silver King from this place. They also have a lot of useful info on the different types of sweet corn.
seeds@jordanseeds.com Price for a pound is about $10.75.

 

[LittleJohnny]

We sell Carrots to the local grocery stores, and to help offset labor expense (hand harvest) I have been raising sweetcorn the past 4 yrs (5-7 acres).

Try "Vision F1" if you haven't already Its an augmented super sweet 74 day.
I'm just North of Spokane WA. The seed company suggests 55F soil temp for germination and with our cool clay loam soil I been having good luck planting shallow (1/2") every May 10th.
Good for fresh market and although we freeze it for winter, it is a little watery compared to some of the old breeds, but will hold its sugar for 30 days in the cooler if you can keep mold from setting in.

I think Vision is comparable to Illini Xtra Sweet in eating quality, everyone loves this corn and it actually has made a pretty good following of its own to where folks start griping when we run out.

Last year we had a lot of cold weather and several inches of rain on our first planting and although it took close to 3 weeks, it looked like practically every seed came.

 

[Ford850]

Gotta Have It: (78 day) Bi Color 'Augmented Shrunken' Not sure what that type is. Grown three summers. Thick plant about 6' tall that withstands our wind storms easily. Ears are 7-8 inches long. Very sweet and holds flavor for days in the refrigerator. I can harvest a patch over 2 weeks or so before it is too far along. Must have warm soils to germinate, if you plant too early or if the weather turns it won't germinate properly, I can't plant until mid June or so. Also needs a fairly shallow planting depth, about 1". Freezes well with very good flavor. Downside is it ruins you for store bought corn so you have to load up the freezer in the summer :laughing:

This is all I plant now. I've tried them all (well almost) and nothing compares to the taste of this. Even the stalks are better than others, withstanding a lot of wind. I used to be in the habit of only picking what I would cook within a few hours. With Gotta Have It, I can let it sit for days and it doesn't lose flavor. Even overgrown and "tough" ears are sweet and flavorful. My family has always been corn snobs, and the first time I took this to a gathering they couldn't believe the taste! I can still picture my brother's face after taking his first bite. He stopped eating, looked over to me, and said "What IS this stuff?" This corn is fantastic, but very pricey.

 

[ray66v]

I now grow nothing but Ambrosia. Everyone I supply corn to, insists it's the best. Which is perfect, because I agree.

I actually have people fighting over my corn, and my watermellons. So, I am definitely not going to change either, anytime soon.

 

[wolc123]

I always try and get a range of maturity dates, 65, 72 and 85 days or so. For my first planting, I put in the shorter date varieties. I always plan on loosing the first planting of the fastest maturing variety to the coons. By the time the next batch ripens however, I have moved all the local coons to that big corn patch in the sky, using box traps baited with peanut-butter coated marshmellows and my .22. Since the crash of fur prices some years ago, coons have made it tough on folks trying to grow small patches of corn. The good news is that they are very easy to eradicate from any local area, and no furbearer is easier to trap. One night (2) years ago I took (4) with a single box trap. I use "candy-corn" for the 85 day stuff, and sometimes "gota-have-it" for the 72. I just get whatever is cheapest for the 65 since the fast types usually are not as tastey or suitable for freezing, and the coons get most of it anyhow. I am in the same zone and usually plant first around May 15, then about every 2 weeks until the end of June. That keeps us in fresh corn from early July thru September depending on frost dates. For the later plantings, I just put in the 85 day stuff. I do like the taste of "candy-corn" and it holds its flavor and sweetness a long time after picking. The seeds are a little small however, and I have to adjust the sprocket on my planter to keep it from going in to thick compared to the other types I plant. "Candy-corn" is as sweet and tastey, fresh or frozen, as any variety I have planted and it has the added bonus of pretty, purple-tinted stalks and leaves. It also stand up real well in the heavy winds.

 

[ShenandoahJoe]

Never planted sweet corn before, but the Mrs has requested it, and so shall it be. Can I plant different breeds with different maturity dates in the same patch? Or do I have to keep them well separated?

 

[ray66v]

From Purdue farmers College:

1. Standard Sweet - su su*;
2. Partially modified types - at least 25% of the kernels
are modified as follows:
a. Synergistic or Sugary Supersweets - su sh2*,
e.g., Honeycomb, golden Nectar, Sugar Time,
and Sugar Loaf;
b. Sugar Enhanced or EH - su se*, e.g., Platinum
Lady, Silver Prince, Kandy Korn EH, Mainliner
EH, White Lightning, Earliglow EH, Golden
Sweet EH, Seneca Sentry, and Tendertreat EH;
3. Fully Modified types - su se* on all kernels, e.g.,
Miracle, Remarkable, Double Treat, Double Delicious,
and Divinity;
4. Single gene replacements for su - usually sh2*, e.g.,
Illini Chief Xtra Sweet, Crisp N’ Sweet, Candyman,
Early Xtra Sweet, Northern Sweet, Candy Bar,
Burpee Sugar Sweet, and Dinner-Time;
5. Multiple gene replacements for su - ae, du, and wx*
are combined to replace su, e.g., ADX Hybrids, and
Pennfresh ADX.
6. A relatively new type of sweet corn known as
"triplesweet" has both sugar enhanced (se) and
supersweet (sh2) kernels on the same ear, e.g.
Honey Select, Serendipity, Bon Appetit.


Cross-Pollination and Isolation Requirements

Corn pollen is carried by the wind from the tassels to the
silks. Different types of corn can cross-pollinate and
contaminate one another. All sweet corn types must be
isolated from other types of corn including field corn,
popcorn, and ornamental corn because their pollen will
turn sweet corn starchy. The shriveled characteristic of
sweet corn is dominant, so popcorn pollinated by sweet
corn will be sweeter and probably shriveled. The color
yellow is also dominant, so yellow corn that is pollinated
by white corn will remain yellow. However, white corn
that is pollinated by yellow will turn yellow.
Cross-pollination among some of the genetically different
types of sweet corn can have undesirable results. For
example, sweet corn types 4 and 5 must be isolated from
each other and from all other types of sweet corn because
pollen from the other types will make the kernels
starchy like field corn. In addition, pollen from types 4 and
5 can make standard sweet corn starchy. Types 2a and
2b will regress to normal sweetness when pollinated by
standard type pollen. Type 6 does not require isolation
from other sweet corn types. In order to preserve the
intended sweet quality of the corn you are planting,
isolation is recommended to prevent cross-pollination
with other types. Isolation can be achieved in several
ways.

Distance.

Since pollen is carried by the wind rather
than insects, distance can be used as an effective
barrier. A distance of 250 feet between different types will
result in some contamination, but not enough to materially
affect the quality of the produce. A distance of 700
feet should give complete isolation; however, complete
isolation is only necessary for scientific and plant breeding
purposes.

 

[Car Doc]

Gottahaveit is going to be my sweet corn choice this year haven't tried it yet I usually plant kandy corn and really have enjoyed it but thought I would try something new.

 

[Car Doc]

Never planted sweet corn before, but the Mrs has requested it, and so shall it be. Can I plant different breeds with different maturity dates in the same patch? Or do I have to keep them well separated?

I am no expert but I only plant one variety at a time with sweet corn, and it says on the specs usually not to plant any other variety's closer than 300ft.

So I would say no you will likely end up with field corn.

With that said though you can plant rows at different times say a week apart so you aren't harvesting all at once some people do that fwtw.

 

[LD1]

We always used to plant kandy corn. It was always our favorite.

Until one of the neighbors turned us on to jack-pot. It is an 84-day bi-color and is super sweet. Much larger and fuller kernals than the kandy corn. We have been planting it every since.:thumbsup:

 

[Car Doc]

Hey LD1 do you recon jackpot is similar to gotahaveit?

They sure look similar being bi-color and maturity wondering because I have not bought my seed yet just wondering now that you mentioned that?

edit: Well I said that but gottahaveit is 78 days not much difference I see by looking at my catalog still wonder about the sugar and frig life so on.