by Mike Mangione
Sweet corn is a crop that has booming sales across the country. Everyone loves to go to the market in summer and get fresh-picked sweet corn for their summer picnics. Like any other crop, production, planning and preparation for the upcoming season are the most important steps you can take to assure a good crop. Here are some things that sweet corn growers should take into consideration when choosing sweet corn seed varieties for their business.
Sweetness – Make sure that your corn variety has excellent eating quality and sweetness. This is vital to ensure repeat business from consumers.
Sweetness – Make sure that your corn variety has excellent eating quality and sweetness. This is vital to ensure repeat business from consumers.
Field Holding Ability – If you are a small or one-person operation, picking sweet corn right on the maturity date can be challenging. Consider planting varieties that will give you a wider picking window, such as the augmented supersweet varieties.
Ear Size - In my experience, I have found that if you are wholesaling to restaurants, they want a smaller ear that will fit on a plate with the best eating quality possible. With its shorter ear size, Mr. Mini Mirai is ideal for restaurant sales. At farmers’ market and roadside stands, the consumers are more likely to seek an impressive, large ear, which has a great eating quality. Keep these criteria in mind when selecting which sweet corn varieties to grow.
Cold Soil Tolerance and Maturity – If you tend to have cooler soil temperatures in spring and it’s tougher to get into the fields to plant, you may want to really look at sweet corn varieties that have good cold soil tolerance. You tend to see better cold soil tolerance with se and synergistic se varieties, but breeders are now introducing supersweet varieties that have decent cold soil tolerance. Most growers will plant early, mid-season, and late varieties to ensure a constant supply of fresh sweet corn throughout the season.
Dark Green Husk Package, Strong Tip Fill and Ample Flag Leaves – These are key traits that sweet corn growers are looking for. Having all of these traits in the sweet corn varieties you choose will make your corn a stand-out from your competition.
With sweet corn, ensuring that you’ve selected the correct varieties that will perform to their maximum potential is the key to ensuring you repeat business and bigger profits. Keep these things in mind when choosing which varieties to grow and you are sure to have a profitable season.
Regional Grower Advisor, Harris Seeds
Mike Mangione is the Regional Grower Advisor for the Great Lakes region. Mike has been with Harris Seeds for 4 years, and has grown vegetables and ornamentals for many years. Specializing in product knowledge and support for professional growers, he holds a well-rounded understanding of the growing industry, from greenhouse and high tunnel production to field growing. With a passion for horticulture, Mike truly enjoys working with growers every day to help them realize their maximum potential and achieve a successful growing season.
