Sweet Corn, That Home Garden Favorite for Good Nutrition and Eating Pleasure by E
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Sweet Corn, That Home Garden Favorite For Good Nutrition and Eating Pleasure by E. V. Wann Sweet corn is a common item in Plymouth, Mass. In Thomas Jeffer- most American home gardens. It pro- son's Garden Book (1810) "shriveled vides a delightful addition to every- corn" is mentioned, which is obvious- day meals, and in season the roasting ly sweet corn. ears are enjoyed for picnics and cook- By 1828 "sugar corn" was listed in outs. Since the days of the Pilgrims, New England seed catalogs. Also, corn-on-the-cob has been a popular evidence indicates sweet corn was American favorite. Sweet corn— being grown by the American Indians either fresh, frozen or canned—may of the upper Missouri by 1833. An- be served as a separate dish or used other early reference to sweet corn in succotash (an American Indian appeared in the Travel Letters (1821) dish), custards, puddings, fritters, of Timothy Dwight as being the most souffles, and stuffed peppers, or delicious vegetable of any known in added to soups and chowders. Sweet this country. corn may also be used in relishes and Sweet corn as a specific crop must mixed pickles. have come into existence at least by Most gardeners will regard sweet 1820 and reached sufficient popular- corn as an essential item in their gar- ity by 1828 to be in a seed catalog. den and take great pride in the good The subsequent history of sweet corn nutrition and eating pleasure it af- is one of variety development. By fords. 1900 there were no less than 63 vari- Corn [Zea mays] is a member of eties, and the first Fi hybrid was in- the grass family, which includes other troduced about 1924. Today, there cereal crops such as wheat, oats, are well over 200 varieties and hy- barley, sorghum, and rice. Corn is brids available to sweet corn growers conveniently divided into six types and gardeners. based on its use and kernel charac- Sweet corn differs from the other teristics. These are dent corn, sweet types of corn primarily by its ability corn, popcorn, flint corn, flour corn to produce and retain greater quan- and pod corn. They are all of the tities of sugar in the kernels. This same species but differ genetically. characteristic is conditioned by a sin- Dent corn, sweet corn, and popcorn gle recessive gene called sugary-1, are the most commonly grown for symbolized sui. Other less pro- their food and feed value throughout nounced differences are its tender the world. kernels at edible maturity, refined Sweet corn is believed by most au- flavors, a tendency to produce suck- thorities to have originated in North ers at the base of the plant, and America as a mutation from field wrinkled seeds when dried. Dent corn. The first references to sweet corn is considered the "normal" type corn date from 1779; an 8-rowed, red- with all the other types being genetic cob type called Susquehanna, or Pa- variation (mutations] of it. Popcorn, poon, was introduced that year near for example, has very hard starch in the kernels that expands explosively E. V. Wann is Research Geneticist when heated, thus producing the and Laboratory Director at the U. S. fluffy white popcorn kernel. Vegetable Laboratory, Agricultural Re- In recent years a new kind of sweet search Service, Charleston, S.C. corn has come into use that is sweeter 181 they are not pollinating at the same time. Climatic Needs Sweet corn is essentially a warm- weather crop. It is easily killed by frost and may be seriously injured by prolonged temperatures several degrees above freezing. Germination and emergence of the seedlings are delayed and may be prevented by soil temperatures below 50° F. Sweet corn does best in areas having mean temperatures of 65° to 75° during the required 65- to 100-day growing season. In the Northeast and North Central States this corresponds to the months June, July and August. In central and south Florida, on the other hand, sweet corn is planted fall, winter and spring. Generally, sweet corn can be grown success- fully in the proper season from Mex- ico to Canada and in many other parts of the world. Sweet corn will grow satisfactorily on a wide range of soil types as long Terence O Dnscoll as they are friable and well drained. However, a deep, loamy, naturally than the standard sweet corn. Its rich soil is preferred. Soil should be sweetness is not conditioned by the only moderately acid (pH 5.8 to 6.8). sugary-1 gene but by a similar genetic If the pH is lower than 5.8, lime factor designated shrunken-2 fsh2). should be applied. Have soil tests This gene conditions an even higher made to determine the proper kind level in sugar in the kernels, giving and amount of lime and fertilizer to them a sweeter taste and prolonging apply. Consult your local Agricultural the edible state by three or four days. Extension Agent since most States The different types of corn should have laboratories that provide a soil never be planted together at the same testing service. time. Pollen from dent corn or pop- Available plant nutrients are espe- corn will contaminate sweet corn, cially important early in plant growth. causing the kernels to be starchy and If the plants become nutrient-defi- not sweet. Likewise, the standard cient and stunted, they never fully sweet varieties should not be inter- recover and the yield will be reduced. planted at the same time with the Commercial fertilizers are recom- extra sweet (shrunken-2) varieties, as mended for sweet corn on just about the pollen from one will contaminate all soils throughout the country. Fer- the other—destroying the quality of tilizer recommendations for sweet both. If both types are to be planted corn vary for different sections of the they should be separated by at least country and from one soil type to 400 yards distance, or one planted about four weeks after the other so Well-fiHed ear of sweet corn. 182 another. Again, depend on soil test- In the South and Southwest, after ing for specific recommendations. the tassels show, the plants need rain Some general fertilizer recommen- or irrigation every week. For these dations for typical soils follow: areas, and where soil moisture is • On light sandy soils of the Atlan- likely to be depleted, it is advisable tic and Gulf Coastal Plains, broadcast to provide some supplemental irriga- 20 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per tion. Furrow irrigation is satisfactory 1,000 square feet of area before plant- in most soils where runoff can be ing. Then apply a side dress of nitro- controlled. gen when the corn is in the 6 to 8 Sweet corn varieties differ in the leaf stage at the rate of about a half way their growth is affected by day pound of actual nitrogen (N) per 100 length. Early maturing varieties devel- feet of row (note that Ammonium oped for the North are not recom- Nitrate contains 33 percent actual N mended for the South. They are and Sodium Nitrate contains 16 per- adapted to the long, cool summer cent). days in the North and do not make • On soil of average fertility in the satisfactory growth in the deep South. Northeast, apply 15 to 18 pounds of Conversely the southern varieties are 5-10-5 per 1,000 square feet of area not adapted to the North. When prior to planting and about 3 pounds planted in the North they may not of the same fertilizer banded per 100 silk and tassel until they reach 8 to feet of row at the time of planting. 12 feet in height, and it is too late for • In the more fertile valleys of the them to produce edible corn before West and Pacific Northwest and on frost. Therefore, specific varieties are the rich soils of the Midwest corn recommended for different sections belt, apply in bands 3 to 5 pounds of of the country. 5-10-5 per 100 feet of row at the time of planting- Hybrids The broadcast applications are Fi hybrids have largely replaced the usually worked into the soil before open-pollinated varieties. As with all planting. The band applications hybrid plants, new seed must be ob- should be made when the seedbed is tained for each crop. Seed saved from prepared, about 3 inches to the sides the hybrid plants will not reproduce of the row of seed and 1 to 2 inches true to type and will not retain the deeper than the seed is planted. The hybrid vigor of the parent plants. above rates are based on rows spaced Several public research agencies and 3 feet apart. private companies breed and intro- duce new varieties of sweet corn. As Moisture Needs a result, a large number of excellent Sweet corn requires a continuous hybrids are available for gardeners. and adequate moisture supply for Some hybrids will be available for satisfactory growth and yield. In non- only a few years, being replaced by irrigated areas of the United States, better ones. sweet corn is grown with reasonable Sweet corn variety trials are con- success where the rainfall from April ducted each year by many State agri- through September is 20 inches or cultural experiment stations, and lists more and fairly well distributed- Un- of recommended varieties are pub- less the soil can retain a large supply lished based on these trials. Contact of water, sweet corn will suffer from your State agricultural extension ser- lack of moisture if rainless periods vice for a list of varieties recom- last more than 2 weeks during the mended specifically for your area.