Quality seeds for kitchen, cottage and native gardeners
Vegetable Seeds Catalogue
Corn
Sds/g: 4-10 Feed Requirements: Moderate-High Usual Seed Life: 2-3 years
Cultural Notes:
- Sweet corn is frost tender so make sure that you sow seed after your last frost You will also have to wait until the soil warms up as seed will not germinate well below 15ºC. Tasmania needs earlier maturing varieties in order to receive a good crop, late maturing varieties will rarely receive enough heat units to be mature and sweet by the end of summer. Mid season varieties will provide a sufficient crop in a good summer. Plant 2 seeds together 4 cm deep and 30 cm apart from the next pair of seeds in rows 90 cm apart. Make sure that you plant at least 2 rows side by side to ensure better pollination and fuller ears of corn. The bigger the block of corn the better. Corn is a heavy feeder and needs plenty of water (space further apart if you wish to water less). If you have enough room plant a few varieties that mature at different times to spread your harvest over a longer period.
Problems:
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Earworms can be a problem. Some people use Dipel against these or put a few drops of mineral oil onto the silks to substantially reduce damage from earworms.
Harvest:
- Generally, the later the variety the sweeter the cob. We always peel back the ends of a few ears with dry and browning silks and squeeze some kernels, if they are full and ‘milky’ they are ready to eat.
Sowing periods
An impressive popping corn with amazing steely-blue kernels. Traditionally grown by the Hopi of SW America, it’s a productive variety yielding 4-6 cobs per plant (to 12 cm long). Also used for fine or coarse grinding, where the flavour and blue speckles add interest when mixed with ingredients and used in cookies, polenta etc. A rustic decorator around the house. Not to WA. 40 seeds.
An old variety dating back to 1880’s and maintained by the Dutch in Pennsylvania. A creamy kernel variety that makes exceptional popcorn- large, fluffy & full of flavour. It can also be used ground (coarse or fine) for grits, flour or hominy masa to be used in polenta, tamales, breads, cookies adding great flavour. A.k.a Pennsylvania Dutch Butter. 50 seeds.
Super Sweet Variety
One of the sweetest varieties of corn around. This variety is a strong grower and normally produces 2 cobs per plant. The cobs are well filled and grow to 19-20 cm in length. Eat freshly picked (steamed, boiled or BBQ’d) or freeze to eat over an extended period. Treated Seed. 6-8 sds/gram. Treated seed.1 pkt = 40 seeds.
A tough and unique heirloom variety. Not only does it have a dazzling array of kernel colours (oranges, golds, reds and purples) it is cold tolerant, early and uses less water than other corn! Grows to about 1.5 m and produces 2 cobs (20+ cm long) per plant. This nutritious corn can be eaten fresh, roasted or ground for flour to make flat bread, muffins, cakes. Also very ornamental.
A classic tasting open pollinated yellow corn, retaining the old-fashioned ‘corny’ flavour rather than the super sweet hybrids of today. Two - three cobs on 1.8m plants that can be eaten steamed, boiled or BBQ’d (our favourite drizzled with a buttery, lime, chilli sauce). Sweet corn always tastes best when eaten within a couple of hours of harvest. 30 seeds. Not to WA.