IMPORTANT NOTE: Many of the varieties of corn that we
carry are no longer being produced commercially which makes them
unavailable from the mainstream seed trade. This means that a lot of time, effort and energy (and love)
is required to hand produce these seeds. It is the only
way to keep them available to our home gardening friends.
The
result is that although we are able to keep them from disappearing
into history, they are more costly than the modern hybrids to
produce, they are not available in bulk quantities, and demand
always outstrips supply. We keep these pages updated as to
availability.
Handy
Corn De-Silking Brush
Click Picture for More Info
In Native American lore,
maize (or corn as it is commonly called in the U.S.) was one of the
"three sisters". Along with beans and squash, the three sisters were
planted and grown together, supporting each other in their lifecycle and providing a very
balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and vegetable fats to their cultivators.
Native American corn was the genetic foundation of all
other corn varieties. "Indian" corn is rarely grown in the garden today.
Columbus was one of the first Europeans to see maize or corn.
The Pueblo Indians were raising irrigated corn in the American
Southwest when Coronado visited in 1540. The settlers at
Jamestown were taught how to raise it in 1608 and in 1620, it helped
to keep the Pilgrims alive over winter. Corn cobs were found
in Tehucan, Mexico that date back 7000 years.
Links to some recipes are included in the descriptions below.
Bloody
Butcher
120 days Bloody Butcher is an old dent-type corn has been grown in the
United States since at least 1845. The stalks reach ten to twelve feet tall with two to
six ears
of corn per stalk.
The kernels are striped red or dark red on
pink to red cobs. An occasional white ear may appear. Can be used for roasting
or frying
when young but generally used for
flour or corn meal. Good flavored. [Approximately
100 seeds per ounce]
Rare and very limited supply.
Blue Hopi
110 days Typically used to make
blue colored corn meal and also as a decoration. The plants
are bushy five to eight feet in height with eight to ten inch ears of smooth blue
kernels. [Approximately
95 seeds per ounce]
Boone
County White
115 days It was once one of the most popular white
corn varieties grown in the corn belt. A heavy producer with
huge ears, it was always winning prizes at corn shows.[4]
It grows large (ten to twelve inch) ears with eighteen to twenty
four rows of deep, pure white kernels on huge (ten to twelve foot),
leafy plants. It makes a good fodder crop.
This variety was originated by Mr. James Riley of Boone
County, Indiana. In 1876, Mr. Riley began selection from a large coarse variety of corn grown in Boone county commonly known as the
'White Mastodon.' The 'White Mastodon' seed was planted in a separate field from other varieties,
never allowed to cross, being changed in type by selection. After several
years of selection he gave his new type of corn the name 'Boone
County White.'[5]
[Approximately 90 seeds per ounce]
Broom Corn - Mixed Colors
(Sorghum bicolor)
110 days Sorghum bicolor, commonly called
"Broom Corn", is not truly corn. The stalks are
similar to corn but they do not produce ears. Seed heads
appear from the tops of the plants instead of a tassel.
Sorghum is the fifth major cereal grain crop in the world (CGIAR
Research).
Birds
love the seed heads, which are also highly decorative and the
quality straw is used for crafts and brooms. Grows four to
five feet
tall. Our mix can include colors of gold, red-bronze, brown, black,
burgundy, white/cream, and natural. [Approximately
1,200 seeds per ounce]
Qty:
Ό
ounce Sampler
- $3.25
Item 3140021
Country
Gentleman
96 days A
very old sweet corn variety. Ears reach about seven inches
with irregular rows of white, sweet, shoe peg-shaped kernels.
Introduced in 1890 by Frank C.
Woodruff of S. D. Woodruff & Sons, Orange, Connecticut and the
following year by Peter Henderson & Co. of New York.[7]
Golden Bantam 78 days The old standard yellow
sweet corn that has been
the home gardener's favorite since the beginning of the 20th century.
A farmer named William Chambers of Greenfield, Massachusetts had
grown this variety for years. After his death, a friend of
Chambers found some of the sweet corn seeds and sold them to W.
Atlee Burpee.
In 1902, Golden Bantam was featured in a Burpee catalog.
Before 1900 most people thought that yellow corn was fit only for
animal feed. Within a few years, people in the United States began
to favor yellow corn.
The plants grow to about six feet and produce seven inch ears loaded
with eight rows of sweet, plump, golden kernels. [Approximately 110 seeds per ounce]
Golden Bantam,
Improved (Golden Bantam 12 Row)
85 days
Although to some the small ear size of 'Golden
Bantam' is a desirable trait, others like larger ears.
This variety is an improved version of the old standard yellow sweet
corn. Instead of eight rows, this variety has ten to fourteen
rows and the ears are slightly longer. It was improved to stay
tender longer.
'Golden Bantam 10 to 14 Row' was
introduced in 1922 by the Everett B. Clark Seed Company of Milford,
Connecticut and was developed as a selection of the
'Golden Bantam'.[7] [Approximately 100 seeds per ounce]
Hickory
King
115 days
These plants grow 7½ to
nine feet
tall. The ears range from seven to eight inches long with ten to
twelve rows of
large white kernels. This is a
roasting corn variety that is
also used for grits, meal, and tortilla flour and in the South it is popular for
hominy.
W.
Atlee Burpee described it in the 1888 Farm Annual as
follows: "This new white field corn has proved entirely distinct from all
other varieties, and has unquestionably the largest grains, with the
smallest cob of any white corn ever introduced." According to his 1922
annual, it is best suited for areas south of Pennsylvania. [Approximately
55 seeds per ounce]
Japanese
Hulless Popcorn
(Tom Thumb, Australian Hulless, Dwarf Baby Rice) 85 days
A very old variety of pop corn that has not lost its appeal to home
gardeners. It is quite dwarf in habit, plants reaching only
about five feet in height. Each plant produces two to three ears per
stalk. The ears are short and thick, about four inches in length
and two inches in diameter. Kernels are arranged irregularly on
cob and are unusually tender, sweet, and pure white when popped.
[About 170 seeds/ounce]
Lancaster
Sure Crop 110 days Dating back to the early 1900s, Isaac Hershey, and
later Isaac's son Noah, developed this historic variety over a
period of years in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They
crossed many varieties selecting for early maturity, disease
resistance, ease of harvest and uniformity. Over 10% of all
U.S. bred modern hybrid corn varieties can trace their heritage back
to this variety.[3]
The ears are nine to eleven inches
long with sixteen to eighteen rows of large, yellow, dent kernels.
The stalks grow tall and leafy with sturdy root systems.
Strong root system for better resistance to wind or drought.
Good as a silage variety. [Approximately
120 seeds per ounce]
Moseby
Prolific (Mosby Prolific) 100 days One of the old "prolific" varieties, 'Mosby
Prolific' is a very old white dent corn pre-dating the 20th Century.
Said to have been introduced by J. K. Mosby of Lockhart,
Mississippi. It is large and although now fairly rare, it was
once extensively grown for feed and silage - particularly in the
South and Gulf States. [Approximately
110 seeds per ounce]
Orchard
Baby 65 days A very unique and interesting variety of sweet corn
for home gardeners. Bred by a Mr. Orchard of Canada, this
variety was introduced by Oscar H. Will & Co. in their 1947 catalog.
They continued to offer the variety until they went out of business
in 1959.
The
plants are short (four to five feet tall) and produce two small,
five to six inch ears that have eight to ten rows of sweet, yellow
kernels. The flavor is delicious
- tender, not starchy, flavorful and just the right amount of sweet
- not too overpoweringly sweet like modern super sweet varieties.
Our source was the USDA's accession
number
PI 219872. [About 80
seeds per half ounce]
Rare and very limited supply.
Pencil
Cob
75 to 100 days This old "shoe peg type" dent corn variety is a very
flavorful roasting ear corn. It is quite good picked
in its early milk stage (about 75 days) for frying
or creaming.
Since most field corn varieties have low sugar content, try adding
a little sugar when creaming.
It is also useful as bird and livestock feed.
The
plants grow five to six feet tall produce two to three ears per
stalk. As seen in the picture, it gets its name from the
fact that the cobs are not much bigger in diameter than a pencil.
Although most companies simple state that it is a white corn, the color of the kernels are actually a dingy white with a yellowish hue with tips that pick up a reddish tinge from the cob coloring. Stands dry weather well. [About
110
seeds/ounce]
Rainbow ("Indian"
corn)
110 days This open pollinated variety has great colors
for drying and using ornamentally. Ears range from seven to
nine inches.
Although it can be used as roasting
or frying ears
when young, it is generally used for flour and meal, or as
mentioned above, ornamentally as decorations. [Approximately 100
seeds per ounce]
Red
Strawberry Popcorn
105 days Popular for drying, the cobs are strawberry shaped and
rich, deep-red color.
The four foot tall plants are highly ornamental and an
excellent choice for an edible landscape planting.
[Approximately
300 seeds per ounce]
Reid
Yellow Dent
115 days
At one time, the most
popular variety in the corn belt.[2]
It is a medium maturing variety, has big ears of large yellow kernels with good
shuck coverage. Mainly used for flour, meal, and feed.
Robert Reid and his son James developed the
variety after moving from Ohio to Tazwell County, Illinois in 1846. He
brought with him a large, late red corn known as 'Gordon Hopkins'. The following
year a poor stand of this variety was obtained and the missing hills were
replanted to an early yellow dent corn grown extensively in Tazwell County. Anatural cross between the varieties resulted, from which James Reid developed the 'Reid Yellow Dent'. Fifty years of careful and systematic selection have firmly established in this variety certain characteristics. No other corn breeds as true to type as does 'Reid Yellow Dent'.[1] [Approximately 90 seeds per ounce]
Silvermine
112 days An
old variety that was once a standard variety throughout the corn
belt. It is a little earlier than Boone
County White, with somewhat smaller ears but usually deeper
grains.[4]
The ears grow about nine inches long
and have fourteen to sixteen rows of large, white kernels.
This is a
roasting corn
variety that is also used for grits, meal, and feed. [Approximately
65 seeds per ounce]
Silver
King (aka Wisconsin No. 7)
100 days This old roasting corn
variety is not to be confused with the newer hybrid sweet corn
variety that is being sold under the same name. 'Silver King'
is an old variety dating back to the turn of the 20th Century.
The ears grow eight to nine inches
long and have sixteen rows of white kernels. This variety is also used for
grits, meal and feed.
The Wisconsin Experiment Station described
the variety as, "a white dent corn with medium sized ears. The kernels are medium deep and have a rather rough dent. The stalks reach a good height and are very leafy hence the excellence of this variety for silage purposes."
This corn originated from Mr. H. J. Goddard of Fort Atkinson, Iowa. Professor Moore of
the Wisconsin A. E. S. obtained a sample in 1904 and introduced it into Wisconsin.[6] [Approximately
70 seeds per ounce]
'Sunshine' Sweet
Corn A 2004 Victory Seed Re-Introduction
75 days We are excited to announce the re-release of this old classic. We
are always looking for interesting and rare varieties that were developed for a
broad range of growing conditions. This offering is an example to this
commitment.
'Sunshine' was developed at the North Dakota Agricultural
Experimental Station (AES) by A. F. Yeager to thrive in areas with shorter
growing seasons. Sunshine is the stabilized cross of Golden Bantam
[1902, W. Atlee Burpee]
and Gills Early Market [Gill Bros. Seed Co., Portland, Oregon]. Originally released in 1927, it remained very popular,
under several name variations, until seed companies began favoring the sale of
unstable, F1 hybrids and last sold commercially in 1992.
The stalks grow to about 5½ feet in height with ears setting about one foot
from the ground. It retains the good, old-time corn flavor of its Golden Bantam
parent but reaches roasting
ear stage three to ten days earlier. The ears are six to eight inches long
averaging twelve
rows of golden yellow kernels. It did great in our Oregon and Tennessee
2003 trial, as well as in our seed production grow outs in 2004 and 2005.
We look forward to hearing how it does in your garden. [About 100
seeds/ounce]
Rare and very limited supply.
Stowell's
Evergreen (White) Sweet Corn
95 days This has been a home
garden and market favorite white variety since Nathan
Stowell of New Jersey introduced it in 1848.
It is a late season
variety, yields eight inch ears that produce anywhere from
fourteen to eighteen
rows of sweet, white, tender kernels. Keeps longer than most
which makes it one of the best heirloom varieties for table,
canning and freezing. [Approximately
100 seeds per ounce]
Trucker's
Favorite
80 to 115 days
An old standard dent variety that
produces nine inch ears having between sixteen and eighteen rows of tender, sweet white
kernels making it a favorite
roasting
or frying
corn.
The plants are six to seven feet
tall.
As with all field corn it is best picked in early milk stage
(about 80 days) for
eating fresh.
A high yielding variety. [Approximately
75 seeds per ounce]
Yukon
Chief 55 days This is another very interesting variety to home
gardeners who have limited space and to folks with shorter growing
seasons.
Developed at the
University of Alaska, AES and released in 1958. It is one of the
earliest (55 days to fresh stage) corn varieties. The plants
are dwarf (three to four feet tall) and produce six to eight inch,
yellow, sweet ears that are slightly tapered with about twelve
rows of kernels. It germinates and grows well in cooler soils.
Most people now associate corn for eating with modern sweet corn
varieties that incorporate specific genes to increase or enhance
sugar quantities and shelf life. Other types of corn can be
eaten like sweet corn when it is young, but are usually grown to
maturity, dried and used for flour and meal.
Corn is probably
the most diverse grain crop. Both man and nature have selected
traits that can roughly be classified by the characteristics of their kernels
-- flint, flour, dent, pop, sweet, and waxy.
Flint corn
is mostly hard with smooth, hard seed coats.
Flour
corn is soft and starchy with thin seed coats.
Dent corn
has hard "flinty" sides with soft starchy cores that allow
the ends to collapse or "dent" when the corn dries.
Varieties of dent corn are the most widely grown types in the Unites
States and used for oils, syrups, grits, meals, flours, and silage.
Popcorn is
one of the oldest forms of corn and can be generally classified into
two types -- pearl or rice -- based on the physical shape of the kernels.
Sweet
corn
is mainly grown for fresh consumption and not used for flour or
feed. A variety named 'Papoon' was raised by the Iroquois in
1779. Golden Bantam, a variety that we still offer, was released
in 1902 and has been popular ever since.
By
the way, the "baby corn" that you use on salads are simply
immature, unfertilized ears that have been harvested and sometimes
pickled.
Planting
Instructions
Soil
must be at least 65ΊF to germinate. Be patient or you will
waste a lot of seed! Plant in full sun and keep it
watered. Corn is a wind-pollinated plant. Plant in blocks
several rows wide to ensure full ears.
Sow
seeds about one-half to one inch deep. They can be planted in rows,
three to four
inches apart, in spaced twenty four to thirty inches between rows. Thin to
six to twelve inches apart.
I plant three to four seed in in the shape of a four inch triangle or
square every foot.
Starting seed in cell trays or small
pots in the hothouse provides optimal germination conditions and
therefore higher germination rates. It also allows you to start seeds
earlier than normal while waiting for the ground to warm up and dry
out and become workable. Another added benefit is that the stands are
more evenly spaced and it eliminates the need to follow the old corn
planting rhyme:
"One for the cutworm, one for the
crow, one to rot, and one to grow"
Take care when removing the plants from
the pots and transplanting. The roots are a bit tender and they
will be adversely affected by rough handling.
We began using this method when we
started growing rare varieties and only had small samples to work with. We
needed to ensure the highest germination rates as possible - every
seed had to count.
Mike's Great-uncle Art had been growing corn this way for many, many years
with excellent success. The pictures below show a typical
grow-out (this one happens to be 2004).
Setting out
plants - Row marked and one tray set out. All supplies handy.
Tools, garden notebook, etc.
Closer view of
the plants in cell trays and an empty tray. Note plants in the
ground.
Under good storage conditions, corn
seed should remain viable for
2 years or more. We have personally heard of instances
where some heirloom varieties have remained viable for decades.
Red
75 days We are excited to announce the re-release of this old classic. We
are always looking for interesting and rare varieties that were developed for a
broad range of growing conditions. This offering is an example to this
commitment.
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