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Sweet Corn
Just after the first ripe tomato of the season, there is nothing to excite the home gardener more than having the first ripe ear of corn! Sweet corn has come a long way since I owned “R.H. Shumway Seedsman” in the 1980s and 1990s. Then the latest and sweetest corns were the “Super Sweet (sh2) Hybrids”, the familiar shrunken-kernel varieties that revolutionized the sweet-corn industry, although requiring isolation from other sweet corns. Although “Super Sweets” were the sweetest, back then the “Normal (su) Types” like “Silver Queen” and the “Sugary Enhanced (se) Types” like “Kandy Korn” were at the zenith of their popularity.
Today, though, with the advent of the “Synergistic (syn) Types”, sweet-corn sweetness and flavor have reached another level. The Synergistic’s ear consists of 75% se kernels and 25% sh2 kernels (like “Illini Xtra-Sweet”) to offer the remarkable tenderness and flavor of the se types, but with the added sweetness, longer shelf life and field-holding ability of the Super Sweets (sh2).
This year we are proud to introduce, exclusively, the first “Synergistic Enhanced (syn+)” variety. Called “Primus”, with 40% Super Sweet kernels and 60% sugary enhanced kernels, this higher level of Super Sweet kernels offers an extra pop of sweetness not enjoyed by any other Synergistic, giving “Primus” the highest sugar content of any sweet corn today. For awesome corn flavor combined with superior eating quality and the highest sugar content ever, try new “Primus”!
Culture & Seed Count
Corn will not germinate with a soil temperature below 65°F! Sow seed in a sunny location after all danger of frost when soil is over 65°F. Sow about 1-in. deep and 5-in. apart in rows 30-36 in. apart. Thin to one plant every 10 to 12 in. when plants are 4-in. tall. Plant in blocks of at least 4 rows for proper pollination. Extend the season by successively sowing or by growing varieties of differing maturities. Packets contain at least 125 seeds (100 seeds for Super Sweets and Synergistics) unless noted otherwise and plant 40 to 60 ft. of row.
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Ambrosia
$2.99SKU: 170 For bulk sizes, click here A mid season at 75 days. Its 8-in. ears, filled with 16 rows of the sweetest, tenderest, juiciest, yellow and w...
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Peaches & Cream Mid EH
$2.99SKU: 161 For bulk sizes, click here 83 days. A mid-season bi-color featuring uniform, 8 to 8 1/2-in. ears filled with 18 to 20 rows of buttery kern...
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Sweetness (bicolor)
$2.99For bulk sizes, click here SKU: 173 68 days. By far the earliest of the Synergistic with exceptional sweetness and fabulous flavor. Well-filled, 8-...
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American Dream Hybrid Sweet Corn (bicolor sh2)
$2.99SKU: 149 For bulk sizes, click here 77 days. How rare is a prestigious AAS Award for sweet corn? Before ‘American Dream,’ the last winner was ‘Hone...
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Trinity
$2.99For bulk sizes, click here SKU: 172 68 days. Our earliest SE type, with exquisite sugar-sweet flavor in its tender, creamy kernels. Large 8-in. ear...
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Northern Xtra-Sweet
$2.99For bulk sizes, click here SKU: 155 63 days. Our earliest sweet corn is tolerant of cool weather and ideal for Northern climates. Plump, 8 to 9-in....
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Primus
$2.99For bulk sizes, click here SKU: 153 81 days. The highest sugar content of any sweet corn today, due to its 40% Super Sweet (sh2) and 60% sugary enh...
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Bodacious RM
$2.99SKU: 179 For bulk sizes, click here 75 days. Best known of the se varieties, famous for its remarkable eating quality and marvelous holding ability...
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Incredible RM (yellow se )
$2.99SKU: 171 For bulk sizes, click here 85 days. Perhaps the best main-crop yellow corn for home gardeners, with gourmet, first-rate eating quality. Ex...
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Luscious
$2.99SKU: 162 For bulk sizes, click here 75 days. A different kind of sweetness – called Tablesweet® – will have you raving about its perfect combinatio...
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Kandy Korn EH
$2.99For bulk sizes, click here SKU: 159 83 days. The original, still best-selling, full-season SE variety with broad name recognition for its 8-in. ear...
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Japanese White Hulless
$2.99SKU: 195 For bulk sizes, click here 100 days. Medium-sized white kernels pop up big, fluffy, tender and pure white. No hulls and no hard centers. ...
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Honey ’N Pearl
$2.99SKU: 169 For bulk sizes, click here 78 days. 1988 AAS Winner and widely considered the best of all the Super Sweet bi-colors. Well filled, cylindri...
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Honey Select
$2.99SKU: 166 For bulk sizes, click here 79 days. The latest, sweetest yellow on the planet! Remarkable tenderness, rich sweet flavor and exceptional ho...
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Golden Bantam
$2.99SKU: 151 For bulk sizes, click here 75 days. An old heirloom originally introduced in 1902 that remains the favorite of many. Robust stalks, 5-ft....
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Calico Indian
$2.99SKU: 183 For bulk sizes, click here 100 days. Highly decorative heirloom variety with kernels in shades of red, yellow, orange, blue, white and pu...
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Sugar Buns
$2.99For bulk sizes, click here SKU: 163 71 days. The longest harvest period of any early sweet corn. Sugar-sweet kernels maintain their sweetness and t...
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Purdue 410 Hybrid
$2.99SKU: 184 For bulk sizes, click here 105 days. Largest of our popcorns, with huge, tender kernels of a rich buttery yellow. Nearly hulless. Robust, ...
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Early Sunglow Hybrid
$2.99SKU: 180 For bulk sizes, click here 66 days. Our earliest “Normal” corn by 2 weeks is very resistant to cold and frost. Well-filled, 7-in. ears wi...
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Delectable RM
$2.99SKU: 168 For bulk sizes, click here 82 days. Main season. The latest corn breeding produces 8 to 9-in. ears with 16 to 20 rows of small, succulent,...
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Serendipity
$2.99For bulk sizes, click here SKU: 164 82 days. The bi-color version of “Honey Select”, with similar maturity and identical tenderness, sweetness and ...
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Golden Jubilee
$2.99SKU: 154 For bulk sizes, click here 79 days. Perhaps the most popular yellow for market gardeners, particularly commercial canners. Widely adaptab...
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Illini Xtra-Sweet
$2.99SKU: 152 For bulk sizes, click here 85 days. Best selling Super Sweet variety! Has 45% sugar content at harvest and 40% content 48 hours later, ens...
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Strawberry
$2.99For bulk sizes, click here SKU: 185 100 days. Tiny mahogany-colored, strawberry-shaped ears, only 2 to 3-in. long, are ideal when first used for f...
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