2018 Seed Catalog

Sweet Corn
Sweet Corn Disease Tolerance Codes:
SW = Stewarts Wilt CR = Common Rust NC = Northern Corn Leaf Blight MDM = Maize Dwarf Mosaic
HE/EH
Heirloom are Open Pollinated (able to
save seed because they will reproduce
true to type and are therefore able to
contribute to sustainable agriculture) and
at least 50 years old.
Everlasting Heritage are some of the
nostalgic and time honored hybirds
that have contributed greatly to modern
varieties and been able to hold their
places at the American dinner table
over the decades by finding a place of
fondness in the American heart. These
varieties are not (and never will be able
to be) Heirlooms though, because they
lack sustainability. They are also at least
50 years old.
Sweet Corn Facts
All sweet corn should be protected from possible cross‐pollination by other types of corn (field, pop or flint.)
If you plant Supersweet varieties plan your garden arrangement and planting schedule so as to prevent crosspollination
between these varieties and any other corns, supersweet or otherwise. Supersweet corn pollinated
by each other will not produce true to their variety. Supersweet corn pollinated by EH, SU, SE, Popcorn or Field
corn will not be able to develop the high sugar content they are known for, and will produce starch instead. It
is recommended that all sweet corn be isolated by either maturity or distance.
Sweet Corn Classifications
SU
Standard Sugary 8 -18% sugar content.
Can generally be planted at 58º soil
temperature in the spring. Usually sold by
weight, making it easier for the beginner
or home gardener. These varieties will
hold sweet milk stage for 1-3 days
properly refrigerated.
Most varieties make a hearty. rugged ear
with a strong corn flavor. Readiness of the
ear is usually easy to identify. Suitable for
table fare and for home processing. Frozen
or canned the kernels will remain tender
and flavorful. These varieties have a flavor
worthy of the fresh market, but are usually
passed over by growers for varieties with
increased milk stage.
SE
Sugary Enhanced (isolation desirable)
20-40% sugar content. Can generally
be planted at 62º soil temperature in
the spring. Some varieties are sold
by weight and some are sold by seed
count. Nice balance of “corny” flavor,
tenderness, and sweetness.
These varieties will hold sweet milk
stage for 3-7 days properly refrigerated.
Suitable for table fare and for home
processing. Frozen or canned the
kernels will remain tender and flavorful.
Recommended for home and for fresh
market. First-rate dual purpose corns,
they are hardy enough to grow without
specialized knowledge and have
flavor and the holding ability to be a
marketable corn.
SS
Super Sweets: 35-45% sugar
content. Includes TripleSweet (TS), Sh2,
Mirai and Synergistic. Each grower has
their own special name for their super
sweets. Super sweets do not tolerate
cool soil tempertures, needing from 65º-
70º soil temperature.
Seed corn kernels are very shrunken due
to the high sugar content the kernel had
at milk stage. Sold by seed count rather
than weight due to the size of the seed.
21st century varieties these are different
than the corn from the table of your
childhood. These varieties have a
mellow corn flavor, are sugary sweet
and have incredibly crisp kernels that
pop in your mouth.
Hold sweet milk stage from 7-14
days. Excellent tablefare, but not
recommended for home processing.
When frozen or canned the “crispness”
of the kernel can become a tough kernel,
and the flavor can be too light in some
processed recipes.
• Plant early, mid, and late
• Early planting should be at your local mean, frost–free, date
• Sweet corn takes 20 days to emerge from 50 degree F soil temperature, but only 5 days at 70 degree F soil temperature
• Make next planting of “Main” variety when three to four leaves have appeared on the seedlings in the previous planting
• Plantings can be made as late as the first week of July
• Per acre, recommendations are 7-10 lbs or 19,000-25,000 seeds
• Isolation - 500 feet or 10 days (end maturity)
• Isolate all sweet corn types from field corn and popcorn
• Other signs corn is ready to pick, are the drying/browning of silks - fullness of the tip kernels - firmness of unhusked ears
• Sweet corn needs to be refrigerated as much as possible between harvest and preparation to maintain sugar levels
• Room temperature sweet corn will allow sugars to convert to starch 6 - 10 times more quickly than refrigerated corn
Three Sisters is a Native American companion planting method. Corn stalks provide support for the pole bean. Pole bean fixes
nitrogen into the soil for the corn. Squash (winter or summer) provides cover crop for weed control, natural mulch for moisture
control, and the prickly hairs of the vine help deter pests. Corn provides carbohydrates. Beans provide protein, plus two essential
amino acids not found in corn. Squash is rich in many vitamins, especially vitamin A. The Iroquois knew these three supplemented
each other agriculturally and nutritionally to provide necessities efficiently.
Roasting Ear is a term that originated around 1650. Open-pollinated corn eaten as a sweet corn during the milk stage, is referred to
as a roasting ear. Cooking the ears in their husk, buried in the ashes of the cooking fire, was preferred over boiling during that time
period. Many open-pollinated corns are dual-purpose. Delicious, succulent and flavorful, ears can be roasted during their milk stage,
as ground corn meal or corn flour at the mature stage.
Milk stage is usually 15–20 days after the first appearance of silks. Most sweet corn stays in milk stage less than a week. Openpollinated
corns have a very brief holding window as a roasting ear. They should be eaten within 24 hours of picking and kept
refrigerated between harvest and preparation. Their sweetness converts to starch much more quickly than today’s modern hybrids.
800-383-0865 • Hummert Seed & Supply • St. Joseph, MO • Fax: 816-232-6134
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