Corn Sweet Seeds

3 products

Bring fresh-picked flavor to your table with sweet corn seeds from David's Garden Seeds®. Sweet corn is harvested while its kernels are tender, before they reach the hard, dry stage used for grain corn. Enjoy ears steamed, boiled or grilled, or cut the kernels from the cob for salads and vegetable dishes.

Choose the Right Variety for Your Garden

Compare maturity: Choose a variety that fits your local frost-free season. Days to maturity are a guide and vary with growing conditions.
Check the sweet corn type: Standard sugary, sugary enhanced and supersweet types differ in texture, sweetness and growing requirements. Use each listing's information rather than assuming every type behaves alike.
Select your preferred kernels: Yellow, white and bicolor describe appearance, not a guaranteed level of sweetness.
Plan additional plantings carefully: Where the season allows, stagger sowings or choose different maturity dates to spread the harvest. Each planting still needs a large enough block for effective pollination.

Planting Tips for Well-Filled Ears

Start with warm soil: Direct sow after frost danger has passed and the soil meets the variety's temperature recommendations. Avoid cold, waterlogged seedbeds.
Plant several short rows together: Corn is wind-pollinated, so a block generally pollinates more reliably than a single long row.
Prepare fertile, well-drained soil: Follow the packet's depth and spacing guidance and use soil-test recommendations to plan feeding.
Keep moisture steady: Control weeds early and water during dry spells, especially around tasseling, silking and ear development.
Follow isolation guidance: Other corn flowering nearby can affect eating quality in some types. Check the variety's recommendations for distance or flowering-time separation.

Harvest for Tenderness and Fresh Flavor

Begin checking ears near the expected harvest date as silks brown and kernels fill out. Pick while kernels are tender and milky rather than firm and doughy. Harvest timing depends on the variety and weather, so examine the ears instead of relying on the calendar alone.

Cook soon after picking or refrigerate promptly to help preserve quality. For freezing, follow a tested blanching and storage method. Fresh sweet corn is a different harvest from dry grain, so do not leave ears on the plant until kernels harden if tender table corn is your goal.