CORN is there a short variety?

15 years ago

Is there a good sweet corn that has short stalks? Say not over 5'. I hate it when corn topples over from a rain storm. Plus I am only 5' myself.

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Comments (4)

wumpdad
15 years ago
I am trying Early Sunglow this year. No prior experience to verify but it is reportedly mature at 4.5 to 5 ft.
paulc_gardener
15 years ago
Early Sunglow if in fact short. Not bad flavor. I won 1st prize in open class exhibits last year with it at our county fair. Other varieties that have maturing days under 70 are usually short. Other varieties of hybrid corn are far superior for taste and eating quality. When eating corn on the cob, some varieties look like you haven't eaten it yet. Nothing but hulls and a wet cob.
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I certainly wouldn't plant them any closer than 10". If you try to cram too many plants in there, they won't do well and may not make ears. Even at that spacing, be sure you are really on the ball with watering -- tightly packed plants and drought are a recipe for failure. Both of the kinds you are planning are normal, open pollinated corns, so they don't have the issue of making "flinty" kernels like some hybrids can when different classes are planted together. In theory, if you were to plant them about 3 weeks apart, you probably could do what you are planning and get relatively pure seed from each strain. However, I don't know if it works differently in Arizona due to climate, but here in Michigan, it seems like staggered plantings all seem to mature at about the same time anyway -- probably a function of our cool springs where the early plantings just sit, and then all start to grow when it warms up. With the planting density, I don't think you should have any problems with pollination, but OTOH, with such a small bed, it sure wouldn't be very hard to do some hand pollination, so it might be worth the few minutes work just as an insurance policy.
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I think you'll find you'll have trouble keeping it upright. Even in regular dirt gardens corn is prone to lay-down (fall over) unless the soil is hilled up around the stalk well. Tall plant + shallow roots + good breeze = laying down corn. One of the short varieties would likely work better in a lasagna bed but even then you may have to stake each plant. Good luck. Dave
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How thick did you plant it? Sweet corn planted extra early while still chilly will be shorter.
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digit
15 years ago
I'll agree with Paulc, and Sunglow is a short sweet corn, probably about 5'. It did well for me years ago.

The last few seasons I've grown Fleet along with some taller corn. Fleet is almost embarrassingly short. Still, the small ears have sweet and tasty kernels. And, the earliness can hardly be beat.

Steve
farmerdilla
15 years ago
Ther are lots of cultivars under 5 ft. "Good" is relative. I have not found the early cultivars to be as good quality as full season ones. Sunglo is about the best that I have tried in that category. Quickie and Silver Knight are not bad, but not comparable to their longer season counterparts. A full season cultivar that has short stalks in Golden Bantam, one of the best of the open pollinated cultivars

Here is a link that might be useful: List of corn less than 6 ft. tall

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CORN is there a short variety?

Comments (4)

wumpdad

paulc_gardener

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digit

farmerdilla

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