How to save Serendipity sweet corn seed?

[Beans & Corn]

How to save Serendipity sweet corn seed? Is their anything in particular you do to it?

 

[vfem]

Now someone can correct me if I am wrong, I did some reading on corn recently and found that MOST varieties of sweet corn are hybrid. I believe the Serendipity sweet corn you speak of is an synergistic hybrid and won't grow true to the mother plant if you save if from your previously grown seed.

You should definitely do a search for a sweet corn with an open pollination if you plan to save your own seed for corn each year. Then allow the cobs to dry on the plant and collect when the seeds on the cobs are shrived and hard.

I hope that helps.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Correct, typically most hybrid sweet corn like Serendipity will not hold true to the parent plant.

Like vfem said, if you want to save seed from corn varieties find an open-pollinated variety that works for you.

Carlos

 

[wifezilla]

I tried to find some non-hybrid corn while I was out shopping the other day. There was no sweet corn that wasn't a hybrid. Instead I got some "ornamental" corn and I will use it for critter food. I only got the corn because I want to try the three sisters garden in one of my beds and needed something for the beans to climb

 

[vfem]

I have a golden bantam sweet corn that is open pollinated. You can find it online, its smaller ear like 6", but they mature in about 65 days. Definitely something to look into.

 

[seedcorn]

golden bantam is not very sweet if you are use to sweet sweet corn. Grew that when I was a kid.

 

[patandchickens]

Golden bantam and shoepeg ("Country Gentleman") are the only widely-available OP nonhybrid sweet corns, and even those, you are not gonna find at the neighborhood garden center, you have to mail order.

There are a few other OP sweet corn varieites available through seed saver type outlets.

Bear in mind that there is a reason that old-timey "boil up yer sweet corn to eat" recipes have you boil them in *sugared* water -- they taste (IMHO) like rehydrated dried corn or cheap canned corn, not comparable to the hybrids we are used to today. I still like them, they have a nice corn-y taste, but they are "sweet" only in comparison to field corn

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[my3boysmom]

Vfem is right, hybrid corn won't hold true - as a matter of fact it generally won't produce anything except for nubs. Most of what we're used to as sweet corn today is hybrid. Older open pollinated varieties aren't as sweet.