Heirloom & Open Pollinated Corn Seeds

Corn

Domesticated by indigenous peoples of Southern Mexico about 9000 years ago from teosinte (wild corn, listed in this catalog), corn (maize) has become a staple in many regions around the world. Maize is the term used for the domesticated variant of teosinte, & although many theories were proposed throughout history of the origin of maize it wasn’t until 2004 that John Doebley identified Balsas teosinte, native to the Balsas River valley in Mexico's southwestern highlands, as the crop wild relative genetically most similar to modern maize.

Corn has many uses & perhaps is a little overused in commercial food production in countries like the United States, but for the homesteader corn is a valuable crop with many uses nonetheless. From corn on the cob & cornmeal to hominy, alcohol, bio-fuel & animal feed, corn is as useful as it gets when it comes to living in a self reliant manner.

There are three distinct groupings of corn varieties you will encounter in this catalog. Flint types, dent types, & sweet corn. 

Flint corn varieties are used primarily for grinding due to their extremely hard kernels & are considered a field corn. Flint corn is also the most impervious to weevil damage in storage due to its hardness. 

Dent types are a field corn used for grinding as well, but also impart themselves to eating fresh when harvested at the right time & are great for animal feed. Dent types are characterized by a small dent on the bulbous end of the kernel. 

Sweet corn is used primarily for fresh consumption as corn on or off the cob. One interesting fact about sweet corn is that its sugars convert to starch rapidly post harvest or if left on the stalk too long. Within just a matter of minutes from harvest, much of the stored sugar is lost to this conversion. Old timers used to (& wise folks still do) plant sweet corn close to the kitchen so the cobs can be harvested after the water is already boiling & cooked as quickly after harvest as possible. This is the only way to enjoy fresh sweet corn at its finest. Store bought sweet corn could never compare to that grown in your own garden!

Corn is wind pollinated & it is imperative that it be planted in blocks at least five rows wide. If planted in a single row, pollination will hardly occur & you will be left with empty cobs void of edible kernels. This is the number one mistake beginning gardeners make when attempting to grow corn for the first time.

Corn will germinate in soil temperatures as low as 50°F & is not incredibly sensitive to frost or even a light freeze, but the ideal soil temperature for optimal germination is much higher (85°-90°F). Allowing soil temperatures to achieve at least 65°F at the planting depth of one to two inches is the compromise that should be made if possible.

Plant corn in rows spaced twenty four to thirty six inches on centers, anywhere from five to nine inches apart. Two to three seeds should be planted in each hole. High population density has its advantages when it comes to adequate pollination as well as stability in high winds, but personal preference varies from one gardener or farmer to the next. We prefer to plant three seeds per hole, nine inches apart, in rows spaced thirty six inches on center.

There are a few pest & other conditions that can affect your corn crop in a negative way, but the one that stands out & causes the most damage are corn earworms. Corn earworms can be controlled to some degree with the application of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (BT). BT can be found in liquid form & sprayed on the plants. The downfall when it comes to BT is that the bacterium has to be consumed by the insect to take effect, meaning that at least some damage will occur prior to controlling the pest.