Honey and Cream sweet corn

milkman636 · Aug 8, 2011

Enjoyed the first sweet corn of our Michigan growing season this evening.

We planted Honey and Cream this year from Harts Seed Company for the first time. Its a 78 day bi-color that was started in the last week of May. The stalks have all thrived and reached at least 7' tall.

I've been patiently watching and waiting for the ears to be ready for picking. Tonight when I got home from work I finally picked one to check. It looked perfect, so I picked about 15 more that looked about the same size.

It is excellent corn. All 16 ears disappeared from the dinner table.

The ears are only about 7 inches, but juicy, tender, and sweet. My planting was staggered over a month, so we hopefully will be enjoying fresh corn for the next 6 weeks.

I love summer, and I am thinking it will be Honey and Cream again next year.

5030 · Aug 9, 2011

I like to plant Ambrosia Hybrid bi-color myself. None this year however. It's easier and cheaper to buy it from the local farmer's market.

I stick to potatoes and cabbage now. I'm a big homade sauerkraut person and organic potatoes.

Have 2 crocks fermenting right now.

ray66v · Aug 9, 2011

I second growing Ambrosia.

Because of the weather, all the corn for sale in my area is mediocre at best this year. At worst, some of it is really bad. I just started picking my Ambrosia this week, and is just as good as always.

I have tried just about everything out there in a bi-color, and it is going to be tough to get me to change from this variety.

DocHeb · Aug 9, 2011

5030 said:
I'm a big homade sauerkraut person and organic potatoes. Have 2 crocks fermenting right now.

Would you please describe your process for making sauerkraut?

farmeratheart · Aug 9, 2011

milkman636 said:
Enjoyed the first sweet corn of our Michigan growing season this evening.

We planted Honey and Cream this year from Harts Seed Company for the first time. Its a 78 day bi-color that was started in the last week of May. The stalks have all thrived and reached at least 7' tall.

I've been patiently watching and waiting for the ears to be ready for picking. Tonight when I got home from work I finally picked one to check. It looked perfect, so I picked about 15 more that looked about the same size.

It is excellent corn. All 16 ears disappeared from the dinner table.

The ears are only about 7 inches, but juicy, tender, and sweet. My planting was staggered over a month, so we hopefully will be enjoying fresh corn for the next 6 weeks.

I love summer, and I am thinking it will be Honey and Cream again next year.

I'm coming to the end of my 3rd planting of the season of my favorite variety- Illini Extra Sweet. It is a SH2 hybrid that has been around for years. It was Dad's favorite and I planted it in his honor every 2 weeks this spring from the 15th of May until around the 4th of July. Dad passed away this spring, but I know he smiles broadly every time I pick a dozen of these ears!

Frank

milkman636 · Aug 9, 2011

Good story about your choice in varieties Frank. If my dad had ever hit on a market quality corn variety, I'm sure that I would be sticking with it today also. He was never one that was overly concerned with having things that were fancy or the best. So I've been experimenting with different varieties in different years.

This is the first year I have went to the internet for any feedback on varieties. Before this post I had never heard of Illini Extra Sweet. Ambrosia is one I have not tried yet either.

The Honey and Cream has been real easy to grow. I fertilized heavily when I tilled in May, laid out my rows, staggered the plantings, and then basicallly watched. I did weed occasionally and till betwen the rows at about a foot high.

It looks like every seed that I planted germinated and is producing corn. My $8 investment in seed looks like it will be yielding me around 20 dozen ears if it all holds out.