Sweet Corn Varieties

For years I grew Kandy Korn. We loved it, but the stalks are so big I couldn't grow as much corn in the same area of garden. I found that Kandy Korn gets stunted if it's planted less than 42" between rows and 14" between plants. So, a couple of years ago I switched over to Delectable from Johnny's Selected Seeds. Delectable is a 80-day se+ bicolor with smaller stalks that I can grow at 36" between rows and 9" between plants. We really like Delectable.

BUT - now I'm looking at seed catalogs and realizing that if I could find a variety that's just a little bit earlier (around 70 days instead of 80) I might grow two crops a year. Also, in the Johnny's catalog Delectable's flavor is rated GOOD, while most all their other varieties' flavor is VERY GOOD or EXCELLENT.

I'm thinking of switching over to the bicolor Xtra-Tender 2573, 73 days, sh2, 6 1/2' stalks, flavor EXCELLENT. I can get away with growing "super sweet" sh2 varieties here because we're on six acres and no other corn is grown nearby, so isolation isn't a problem. I hate to quit a variety we like as well as Delectable, but it seems 2573 might be a further improvement. What do you think?

Never know til you try.

Ozark,

I'm still really fond of Sugar Dots.

Do gophers like corn? I would love to grow some, and it would have to be in the dirt, but having to dig up and put wire mesh under such a large area seems intimidating.

guiltygirl - When I grew my gardens in Southern California, gophers undermined, ate, and messed up most every crop. Upon moving to Missouri, I found NO gophers, no tumbleweeds, no Santa Anna winds, no smog, no earthquakes, etc., etc. OK, our winters are colder and once in awhile a tornado tries to kill ya, but it balances out.

At first I figured the colder winters here must account for the lack of gophers, but then I remembered that Minnesota calls itself "the gopher state" and they're a lot colder than we are. Then I read that gophers don't inhabit places where the soil is more than 50% rocks, and we've certainly got that in the Ozarks.

Yes, gophers eat cornstalk roots, though I was able to grow quite a bit of corn in CA anyway.

OK, enough with that no gophers in MO stuff already, LOL. You have spoken of that before and we are indeed jealous. Not jealous enough to leave these mid winter 86 degree days though. A DG member in Vista, CA is having great success poisoning them, but, phew, it sounds like a lot of work to be so vigilant.

AND, btw, aren't you one of the states just waiting for the New Madrid fault to have its biggee earthquake?

guiltygirl - You live in SoCal, on the ocean-bottom side of the San Andreas fault, in fact. And you're worried about a fault line in Missouri that President Madison felt when it last went off? lol

I went ahead and ordered the bicolor Xtra-Tender 2573 variety corn seed today. I think it'll be a good one for us.

Yes, it has been awhile for the New Madras earthquake, so they say it is due again. I don't think stuff back there is engineered to withstand earthquakes as much as here though. Yes, we are overdue for the 'big one' too. I am glad we live in a single story house on property without power poles. It is a mobile home, so I guess it is made to be able to stay together as it rolls down the road, maybe that will made a difference? I have tons of emergency supplies in case of natural or man made disasters, but it will be my luck I will either be in the room where they are kept and will be crushed by them when an earthquake happens, or I will be on the road driving through a metropolitan area. Years ago when I lived in the SOuth Bay area and commuted to LA to work in a high rise I did not fear earthquakes, but it appears I was crazy(er) then. I do want to get solar for at least our well though, then secondarily for refrigeration. DH thinks the computers are the most important thing to have running......

Will be considering are area to experiment with in ground veggies, then will need to fence off all my garden, flowers, trees, etc, as DH has taken to wanting to let our one remaining horse out to run around (literally) the house and graze on the weeds.

Sweet Corn - Frosty Hybrid

all the way baby! Also Honey and Cream Hybrid.

No-GMO of course.

I've always had the best results with Honey n' Pearl hybrid. It's a 76 day hybrid with outstanding flavor. Tried a half dozen others, but none were as good as this.

Had another daunting thought about in-ground corn/veggies today when my DH let our horse out to roam! He thinks she is more important than ANY plants and should not need to be confined to her 24 x 48 ft corral ALL the time. To his credit, he did watch her more closely this time, only allowing her weeds. She loves palm trees and the vet said those can tie her guts in knots. Since we just had to put the other one down, he listened.

Had another thought about the rocks vs gophers and recalled a very rocky (small and boulders) property we looked at not too far away and remembered all the gopher holes next to the rocks. Maybe our area is gopher heaven.