Nik,

I have grown Golden Bantam and it is OK, but I don't necessarily think it is anything special, as far as OP corn goes. It has been around a long time because it is widely adapted to many parts of our nation, produces decent-sized ears relatively early, and has typical old-fashioned corn flavor but there are varieties we like more in terms of flavor, ear size and, most importantly, resistance to corn earworms. I am not saying there's anything wrong with Golden Bantam, because there isn't, but rather that I only plant 3 or 4 kinds of corn a year in even the best of years, and it just never quite makes the list. Anyone new to growing Golden Bantam should know that it has to be watched very carefully and harvested as soon as it reaches the milk stage because it does not hold its quality for long in the milk stage. Also, when looking for Golden Bantam seed, there are several strains out there, and if I was going to plant it, I'd look for one labeled Golden Bantam Improved or Golden Bantam 12-Row because they are a little better than the original Golden Bantam.

For a very early corn, we like Early Sunglow better because it tolerates very low soil and air temps in our often-fickle spring weather, and will produce by Memorial Day weekend if I get it into the ground in latest March or earliest April. It is a hybrid.

For our main season OP corn we usually grow Country Gentleman, which is a shoepeg corn. My DH and DS think it is the best old-fashioned (as in not supersweet) corn flavor they've ever tasted. They even like Shoepeg corn when I buy it frozen at the grocery store. I like it fine, but they simply adore it.

Our other go-to OP variety is Texas Honey June which produces really large ears for us and with very little to no irrigation, which is important in dry years. It has that old fashioned corn flavor we love and holds well on the cob. Texas Honey June has very tight husks which help keep the corn earworms out, which is a huge plus and one I greatly appreciate since I don't especially enjoy cutting earworm-damaged portions out of ears of corn.

There are lots of great OP corns and we grow a couple of them every year, but we grow hybrids too because we also enjoy the more modern super-sweet or triple-sweet types too.

Seed for Texas Honey June is available from SESE, which I've linked below, and I think Baker Creek has it and Country Gentleman as well. You can find the original Golden Bantam just about any place that has a seed rack, and sometimes I see Country Gentleman on the seed racks in stores as well. To find one of the improved Golden Bantam strains, you might want to check the SESE or Baker Creek websites.

And, for all the corns listed, the DTM is a rough estimate, and I get ripe corn much earlier with Country Gentleman and Texas Honey June than what you'd expect from the DTMs.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Honey June OP Corn at SESE