Zea mays Seeds | True Gold Sweet Corn
LATIN NAME: Zea mays
COMMON NAME: Sweet Corn
Plant Profile
Among the ornamental and useful plants raised from seed, Sweet Corn (Zea mays) stands out as a tall, sturdy, annual in the grass family. Sweet corn is summer crop that children remember. Tall, sturdy, annual grass carries broad, arching leaves and tasselled male flowers at top, with silky female flowers lower down, to be followed by plump, green-husked cobs of golden-yellow kernels. Kernels are at their sweetest within minutes of picking, and crop is one of great, generous treats of summer kitchen garden. Few species give back so generously for so little effort.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Zea mays ranges from the botany of the grass family to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Sweet corn is one of great subjects of plant science, studied for plump, golden kernels and way they hold their sugar. Breeders and collectors still work with it, so well-kept seed remains available.
Uses & Benefits
Sweet Corn works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Sweet corn is great, generous crop of summer kitchen garden. Plump, golden kernels are boiled, roasted, grilled and fried, eaten on cob or cut into salads, soups and fritters, and crop is one of treats that summer garden gives at its best. Tall plants also make a fine, quick screen of kitchen garden, and the whole plant is put to the feed and the compost after the harvest. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
Corn feeds the world, and corn silk is its gentle medicine: the golden styles are a traditional diuretic tea for urinary comfort across Asia and the Americas; the germ oil is rich in vitamin E.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Sweet Corn under ordinary good conditions. Sow the seeds evenly over the surface and cover lightly in a loose, well-drained seed compost, keep the sowing evenly moist, and give the pot or tray bright light. Grow the youngsters on steadily in pots until well rooted, then move them to their final positions.
Our Take
It grows as a tall, sturdy, annual, so its place in the garden is easy to plan. Sweet Corn has real presence in the garden without demanding much in return. Once the young plants are away, there is little left to do but watch them grow.
Related Reading
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