Recommend a variety of sweet corn? Where to buy?

What is a good variety of sweet corn that is semi-earworm resistant, preferably large ears, and good flavor? What place would you recommend? Thanks, Mike

Depends on what type you like. I prefer the flavor of the Se types to all others I have tried. I like whites, so for the south Silver Queen or Silver King or both would be my choice if I could only grow one. The biggest difference between them is that Silver King matures about 10 days earlier. They are usually available at local feed and seeds or garden centers in the south. If not most good on-line companies will have them.

Sugar Dots is the best bicolor I have tried but there are a lot of good ones ( Ferry- Morse)

Kandy Korn or Seneca Chief for yellow.

Rubt Queen for red ( Burpee)
You might want to read the comments of other DG'ers.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=sweet+corn&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=with&Search=Search

Thanks, bi-color is prefered, so maybe sugar dots. I tried "Gotta have it" from gurneys last year and gave alot to my step dad in Waco. Neither one of us had a decent crop. My main problem other than last year has been the ear worms. The few that did anything last year also were over run with the worms, but the stunted growth was the primary problem. Thanks

How does sugar dots do on ear worms? Good husk protection? Thanks, Mike

Ain't no husk gonna stop earworms. Most of the modern hybrids have good husk coverage, so you don't have to worry much about sap beetles, but for earworms break out the mineral oil, light horticultural oil, Bt, or a contact insecticide.

I am thinking about possibly doing about 10 100' rows of corn. Does Ferry Morse sell them in larger quantity than the small packets for a 50' row? How large is your corn plot and what method do you use for the ear worms?

Excel, Ferry Morse normally sells their seeds at other retailers/stores, etc. I don't think they have a website that sells direct nor sells in bulk.

However, RH Shumway sells corn seed by the pound, which is what you want. (You'll need about 2 and a half pounds for your ten 100 ft rows.) Corn right now is going for about $12.00/pound; if you are judicial in your seed sowing technique I believe you can get by with less poundage.

Shoe

(edited cus I speed type and really make bad mistakes sometimes! Sorry!)

This message was edited Nov 30, 2008 9:41 PM

Thanks Shoe, if I bought from there, what would you recommend?

Agree with Shoe: However Territorial does sell Sugar Dots in Bulk. http://www.territorialseed.com/product/7228/266 While a Ferry-Morse product, there are quite a few vendors. Willhite sells Trinity, which I have not tried, but know folks who recommend it. http://www.willhiteseed.com/products.php?cat=31&pg=2. Usually you can save on shipping costs by selecting either a locally available cultivar or buying from a supplier in close shipping zones when buying in bulk..

Yep, ditto what F-dill said. Our local Southern States carries quite a few varieties of sweet corn, plus a local garden center I deal with will happily order things I request if I'm looking for something special.

Excel, I've been a Kandy Korn lover for quite a few years now. If you want to try some it is available at Shumway's by the pound. Here is a quick link to some of their corn:
http://www.rhshumway.com/sp.asp?c=170

I used to buy a lot from Shumway when they were located here. But since they were sold to Jung and moved way up in Wisconsin, they have drastically reduced their offerings . Delectable is a decent bi-color, better in my opinion than Ambrosia. They also vend Trinity. There are two versions of Peaches and Cream. The older mainseason version is much better than the early version Shumway now offers.

I am thinking about the sugar dots and/or kandy korn. Ain't they both SE and can be grown together? Much trouble with the kandy korn being more sucsecptible to being blown down in high winds? Thanks

You don't need to isolate them. They will cross but only than getting a few white kernels on your Kandy Korn there will be no detriment in eating quality. Never had any trouble with either blowing over. Another good old time Yellow is Seneca Chief. I have not grown many of the newer yellows as I prefer the whites and bi-colors. Hard to give away a yellow down here. Tried Merit and Bodacious which is about all that the few locals who like yellows plant and was not impressed. Have grown Golden Queen, but it is not in the same class as Silver Queen.

I'' bet that even shoe would abandon Kandy Korn, once he wrapped his tongue around fresh Silver King or Queen.

Is kandy korn yellow? Are silver king and queen SE and compatable with sugar and kandy?

Kandy Korn is a yellow that has been around for awhile. Silver Queen is considered an Su, Silver King an Se but I can't tell the difference tastewise. The only incompatibily problems are with supersweets ( SH2) which have to isolated from all other types or their taste and texture goes deep south. Of course if you interplant whites and yellows, you get bicolors, but it does not affect the eating qualities much. Whites are usually more tender and sweet, yellows have a tougher pericarp and and a more "corney" flavor. Bicolors sort of the best of both worlds.

I sure do agree with some of those corn recommendations you made, F-dill. However, I pretty much grew up with Silver Queen around here and although it was the standard to judge corn by for many years I think there are better ones. (But then we get into the old "taste is subjective" etc, issue.

Don't get me wrong, ExcelR- you most likely will like Silver Queen (and it is fairly productive, too.). For me, and for many folks that have gone the Kandy Korn route around here, it is a keeper! Love it! (I did get complaints from a few customers though that it was "too sweet".)

F-dill, I think I would like to try Seneca Chief this coming year. Is it more "corny" in flavor or does it have a bit of sugar to it?

Sure do love this input!

Corn-freak Shoe.

I sure like Kandy Korn, I grow it every year. Kandy Korn can't be crowded, I put the rows 42" apart and 14" between plants (a seed every 7", then pull every other one out when they're 8" tall).

Kandy Korn makes big 9' tall stalks, and in our summer thunderstorms it can sure get laid down. I drive a 5' metal fence post at each end of each row, and when the corn gets tall enough I run a strong cord on each side of the cornstalks in the row between the tops of those posts.

I don't know any corn variety that can prevent earworms. I keep earworms to a minimum by getting Sevin dust on the silks just as soon as they appear, then dusting them again once a week.

Kandy Korn is so good our family and friends all get to asking me if it's ready every year weeks before it's ready.

Shoe Seneca Chief is very similar to Kandy Korn, but perhaps not quite as sweet. First hybrid I ever grew was Bantam Evergreen/Aristagold which I really liked at the time but which has dissappeared from the market. In those days few people liked white corn as all that was available was Stowell's Evergreen and Country Gentleman, The introduction of Silver Queen changed all that. I still grew yellows through the 60's an 70's, Kandy Korn, Seneca Chief, Iochief, Sunglo, Golden Queen and a couple of other Seneca hybrids from the old Robson Seed company whose names I have forgotten.

Excel, I am not organic, so I use Carbaryl for corn ear worms. Try to time it just as the silks begin to turn, so I only have to spray once. Sometimes have problems with stalk borers, so sometimes have to spray just as tasseling begins.

Corn does not grow very tall here, 6 ft at the most. Probably why I seldom if ever have any blowover.

Thanks, F-dill. I'll grow a separate patch of Seneca this year then (and K.Korn in another garden, just cus it's tradition now).

A few years back I wanted to try Country Gentleman due to its heirloom reputation but kept hearing the flavor just wasn't there for some folks so shied away from it.

Ozark, that's a nice pot of Korn ya got there! Makes me wanna pull some out of the freezer for supper tonight (and cook it up with some okra).

Shoe

Shoe the best of the old open pollinated white corns for me is the old Black Mexican, My mothers favorite. My father would not eat anything but Golden Bantam, which was the best sweet corn in its day. Country Gentleman ( we called it Shoepeg) was a step above the early field corns like Trucker's favorite. Good for cream style corn. The big problem with all of them is that they a VERY SHORT harvest window. Miss it and they get chewy and starchy. Also zero shelf life. Twenty minutes tops from harvest to the pot. Always had the water boiling before heading to the cornpatch. Remember, hybrids were not available when I grew up.

Yep, I believe that. To this day quite a few folks put the water on to boil then head out to pick the corn (regardless of whether it is a hybrid SE, SH, etc or not).

I haven't heard of Black Mexican. I wonder if that is still around.

Golden Bantam is one I grew in the late 80's, mainly shooting for an earlier corn. I was happy with it but don't remember it being too much earlier than other corns I'd grown.

And Truckers Favorite was sometimes grown around here by a few locals and then sold as "Silver Queen". At the time seed for SQ was much more expensive. Some folks seemed to never know the difference between the two. I think those were the ones who got the freshest pickings. (And NO, I was not one of those growers.)

Thanks again!
Shoe

Shumway still sells Black Mexican, That where we got it from the thirties to the present. Maybe further back then that, but thats as far back as I can remember. They also still sell Howling Mob which is a good alternative to Country Gentleman/Shoepeg.

Golden Bantam is earlier than Country Gentleman, Stowell's Evergreen, Silver Queen which are all 90 day class, but is the 80 day class with many of the modern mainseason hybrids.

One of my pet peeves concern folks who get corn from me at the peak of flavor, then stick it in the refrigerator for two weeks, before they get around to eating it.

"Corn does not grow very tall here, 6 ft at the most. Probably why I seldom if ever have any blowover." - Farmerdill
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Boy, not around here. If you look closely 'way down at the end of the row in this pic, that's a 5-foot high wire mesh fence running across - so you see how tall the corn is.

Here in SW Missouri we have to hide from tornadoes a few times each season - and there's plenty of strong thunderstorms with straight line winds too. If I didn't tie my cornstalks up, I'd never get any corn.

Hey, I want to thank you and Horseshoe again for introducing me to pink-eye purple-hull cow peas. We made a big pot yesterday with the last ones out of the freezer, and I sure enjoyed them. I'll be planting some of those every year from now on.

Farmerdill, "I use Carbaryl for corn ear worms. Try to time it just as the silks begin to turn, so I only have to spray once." Does silks begin to turn mean turn from yellow to brown? I am just swamped by moths and earworms every year. Thanks again,

I logged onto Rupp's web-site and read some about their attribute insect protection. I do not have a problem with their requirements of destroying the spent stalks. The agreement form ask for a dealer name and a farm operation name. I do not have one as I just give what I grow to my friends. Would they sale to me if I met their minimal order requirements? Thanks,
Mike

A lot of my cultivars have red silks, but no matter. The ends of the silks will show signs of drying and color change. Thats when I go after the earworms.

Syngenta/Rogers has a lot of dealers. They seem to have a corner on the market for Bt corn. With all the negative hype about Monsanto/Seminis I really expected them to be in the fray but no indication that they have released anything. Ditto for American sweet corn breeders Crookham and Mesa Maize. There is more to the conditions than destroying stalks. There is a certain level of fear of GMO products. Many refer to them as Frankenfoods. Growers have to assure thier neighbors that thier plantings will not contaminate thier neighbors plantings.

Mike - I'll be interested in what Farmerdill has to say, as I'd like to learn about Carbaryl. Maybe that's a better product for preventing corn earworms than the Sevin dust I use.

So far as when to apply an insecticide, I think corn is vulnerable just as soon as silk starts to form on the ears. I may be wrong, but I THINK earworms are caused by the plain white butterflies that are so common everywhere. They lay eggs in the base of the corn silk, those eggs quickly hatch, and the caterpillars crawl down into the corn ear and feed on the kernels.

Once a worm gets inside the ear of corn it's protected from insecticides that are dusted or sprayed. That's why it's important to get an insecticide on the silk early, before those eggs hatch.

Those here who know more about it can correct me if I'm wrong, please.

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/veg/corn_earworm.htm
http://entowww.tamu.edu/extension/answers/identify/chew/corn_earworm.html
http://www.cirrusimage.com/moths_heliothis.htm

Ozark. Sevin is one brand name for the insecticide carbaryl. I prefer the liquid form, because I can place it where it is needed and don't have to worry about drift. You are right, in that some areas with high infestations, reccommend spraying when a small percentage of the silks emerge. I do get adequate control here with the one application, but there is little farming and even less corn here. Which does not encourage buildup of con earworm populations.

Farmerdill - That's interesting. Thanks for the pics, I learned something.

Mostly, I learned that the adult corn earworm is a moth that's active at night. I didn't know that - I thought it was the common white butterfly my grandpa used to call "cabbage butterflies".

They're sure thick around here - and even by using Sevin early and weekly I can only limit the damage. Every ear of corn has a worm in it, hopefully with just a little damage at the silk end that can be cut off. If I don't dust, though, they'll get an early start and ruin whole ears of corn.

Corn earworms were even worse where I used to garden in Southern California. I'm sure that's because of the mild winters there.

I'll try the carbaryl in liquid form, 'cause it's kind of hard to shake powder onto the silk of each ear.

That Cabbage White is the adult of the imported Cabbage worm. Very destructive on brassicas, especially cabbage and broccoli. Fortunately Bt controls them very well. The cabbage looper adult is a moth. Bt handles the loopers as well.

Thanks for the links farmerdill. Hope that I can remember this. If I do this and spray almost daily, maybe I can get some corn too. From first link: "Mineral oil, applied to the corn silk soon after pollination, has insecticidal effects. Application of about 0.75 to 1.0 ml of oil five to seven days after silking can provide good control in the home garden"

I know I'm from the Great White North, but I have a suggestion. I used to grow Kandy Korn too, but I had enough of it falling down with the wind. I searched all around and found a variety called Delectable and the names suits the corn. It tastes wonderful fresh and makes the BEST frozen corn that I have ever had. For me this seed is available online at Johnny's Selected Seeds. It may be a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. Johnny's is now offering a new corn variety call Montauk that is supposed to taste better than Delectable. I'm going to try it and make my own decision. You maybe able to find these varieties elsewhere. Good luck.

realVermonter - Thanks for mentioning Delectable. I've been a little unhappy with Kandy Korn for awhile now. We think the corn is great - but those 8-9 foot stalks need a lot of support to keep them from blowing down in thunderstorms. Also, Kandy Korn can't be crowded a bit. The closest I've been able to grow it is with stalks 14" apart in rows 42" apart. Any closer than that and the ears get stunted.

I got into the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog, and I ordered Delectable and Sugar Pearl. Those are both SE varieties with 6' stalks - one is bicolor and one is white.

Has anybody here grown Sugar Pearl? It sounded great in the catalog, and I've never grown an all-white corn before. Also, how close do you think I can plant those two varieties? Since the stalks are much smaller than Kandy Korn, I'm hoping I can grow more ears of corn in the same space.

Have not grown SugarPearl, It is a TSW (Tablesweet) variety from Mesa Maize. Relativly tall (78 inches) for a 75 day corn. I have grown a few Mesa Maize cultivars and they were all good, but none that really jumped out of the crowd. http://www.mesamaize.com/

Have grown Delectable. Like Ambrosia it is a Crookham hybrid, but bigger and later. Under my conditions, plant is no shorter than Kandy Korn. Listed at 88 inches, but does not get that tall for me. Eating qualities are similar to Ambrosia, maybe a shade better. http://www.crookham.com/products/index.php?cat=Sweet%20Corn%20Fresh%20Market&sub=SE%20%26%20SU1

Farmerdill - Thanks. How close did you plant your Delectable corn?

I saw the picture you posted in PlantFiles of the young corn rows this spring. Boy, your soil looks sandy. I wish I had some of that around here to replace some of these rocks. Roto-tilling HURTS at my place.

I don't know why there's such a difference between our two places in the height of Kandy Korn. If I counted all the way to the top of the tassels, there'd be a few of mine every year at 10'. Some of the ears grow almost 6' off the ground.

I'm hoping both Delectable and Sugar Pearl will have a more compact growth habit - and maybe I can plant them a little closer together than the K.K.

Ozark, I plant at 15-18 inches in 48 inch rows. Would use 42, but the old tractor is set for 48 and I am not pushed for land. Even field corn is short in this sandy soil. Part of it is that we don't apply much nitrogen untill the corn is about 2 feet tall.

This for example is the Mesa Maize cultivar Lucious. listed at 75 inches but barely got 5 feet for me. Ears very low on the stalk, what the old folks called Jaybird corn, because the Blue Jays could walk along the rows and eat the corn while standing on the ground. It was not one of my favorites, but ok.

Farmerdill - That's probably the difference. Our natural soil is about half big rocks and half gooey red clay. Years ago I took a big track loader and dug my whole vegetable garden out to a depth of 3', then I hauled in truckloads of black topsoil to fill the hole. Since then, I've worked in many tons of compost so I've got real good garden soil, at least in that one spot.

Before planting every spring, I plow in some 10-10-10 fertilizer plus some ammonium sulfate to correct my high pH from all the limestone here and to replace the nitrogen the compost uses. Also, your garden looks flat and I'm fortunate enough to be gardening on a south-sloping hillside here. My drainage is great, and I can walk in the garden right after a big rain.

I've got a six-acre place, but only my 35' x 50' garden has soil good enough that I can grow anything. That's why my space is limited.

Those seeds from Johnny's Selected Seeds arrived today. Both those packs of corn say to "thin to one seedling every 10 inches in rows 36" apart". If I can plant that close, I'll get a lot more corn from the same space than I ever did with Kandy Korn (14" x 42"). I think I'm gonna try it.

Silver Queen this year. Farmerdill you have not let me down yet with your recommendations, but it is tough to switch from kandy corn to a new variety. I am going to use the little IH-Cub this year “36” row instead of the big tractor “60” rows. I don’t like the smaller rows but the cub tools make it so much more versatile for a lazy old guy.
Thanks, also to Ozark and Horseshoe, you guys are so informative!
Oldude

Oldude, I used to love my little FarmAll Cub. For a small tractor it was fairly versatile. (Although really made mainly for cultivating I really enjoyed having that front-mounted disk plow.) And for cultivation corn rows it was a real peach (but had to borrow my neighbors cultivators!).

Let us know how you like Silver Queen!

Shoe

I grew about 10? rows of "Peaches and Cream" about 65'? each. About 25% did nothing due to being in low spots with wet feet. The majority of the rest was about 5' tall and got 2 ears off alot of it. Worms not as bad this year. I did sprinkle BT powder on silks quite often, I think too thick on a few preventing pollination. I also did hand pollination a few times, primarily on the up-wind side.

By coincidence, just this afternoon I picked my Sugar Pearl corn at 72 days. I'm helping my wife blanch and freeze it, and we boiled a few ears to sample fresh on the cob. Wow - that's good corn! Of course it helps that it was growing in the garden up until 15 minutes before I ate it.

In six days I'll be picking three long rows of Delectable, and there's lots of big ears on it. Then in August I have some rows of Kandy Korn that'll be ready.

Here's the Sugar Pearl - it's a lot whiter than it looks in this photo.