FLASH SALES: discover new special offers every week!
Share your pictures? Hide split images
I have read and agree the terms and conditions of service.

Sweet Corn Swift - Zea mays

Zea mays Swift
Maize, Corn

4,0/5
1 reviews
0 reviews
1 reviews
0 reviews
0 reviews

I have received my seed order, for which I had to wait quite a bit. Now, it remains to be seen how they will develop and what fruits they will yield. But I am hopeful!

Daniel S., 19/06/2018

Leave a review → View all reviews →

Why not try an alternative variety in stock?

15
1,90 € Seeds
21
4,90 € Seeds
2
3,95 € Seeds
9
3,95 € Seeds
5
4,90 € Seeds
4
3,95 € Seeds
9
14,90 € Seeds

Shipping country:

Schedule delivery date,

and select date in basket

This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty

More information

Graden Merit
'Swift' F1 sweet corn is an early-maturing, extra tendersweet variety that is quick to germinate and vigorous. It is especially recommended for growing in regions with shorter, cooler summers. Each dwarf plant produces 2 to 3 ears filled with very sweet, juicy golden yellow kernels. Sow from April to June and harvest from July to October.  
Ease of cultivation
Beginner
Height at maturity
2 m
Spread at maturity
45 cm
Soil moisture
Moist soil
Germination time (days)
10 days
Sowing method
Direct sowing, Sowing under cover
Sowing period April to June
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Flowering time June to September
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Harvest time July to October
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Description

'Swift F1' sweet corn is an early-maturing, extra tendersweet variety that is quick to germinate and vigorous. It is especially recommended for growing in regions with shorter, cooler summers. Each dwarf plant produces 2 to 3 ears filled with very sweet, juicy golden yellow kernels. Delicious eaten raw in a salad or grilled on the barbecue with a knob of butter! Sow this RHS AGM winner from April to June and harvest from July to October.

Sweet corn (Zea mays), also known as pole corn or sugar corn, is a form of maize that has a particularly high sugar content due to a naturally occurring genetic mutation. It belongs to the Gramineae family alongside wheat, barley and rice. It is highly nutritious, containing more protein and five times more fibre than rice. It is also an excellent source of B vitamins, vitamin C, minerals and trace elements. It has a low glycemic index.

Sweet corn likes deep, light, cool soil that is rich in organic matter. It is a heat-loving plant that needs plenty of sunshine to grow. It can be used to create attractive borders around your vegetable garden and individual plots whilst providing valuable shade for vegetables such as lettuces or cabbages.

Harvesting: Sweet corn is harvested 80 to 120 days after sowing depending on the amount of sunshine and water it has received. The ears are ready to be picked when the silks start to turn brown and the kernels are well developed. Check for ripeness by piercing a kernel with your fingernail - it should be tender and milky. When harvested too late, the sugars turn into starch and the skin becomes tough.

Storing: after harvesting, remove the green husk that is wrapped around the ear. Use quickly, the fresher the better! Sweet corn can also be cooked and frozen or preserved in jars for later use.

Good to know: Traditionally, maize crops were grown alongside squash and bean plants in Central and South America in a system known as Milpa agriculture. Beans would enrich the soil with nitrogen, squash plants would act as ground cover and maize plants would provide support for the beans to scramble up. Start out by sowing your maize plants. When they are about 10 cm tall, sow 2 bean seeds and 2 squash seeds around each young plant.

NB: This variety is marked F1 for "F1 hybrid" meaning that its qualities are derived from carefully selected parent plants. This results in a variety that is both full of flavour and resistant to diseases. Sometimes criticied or wrongly conflated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds have the advantage of producing reliable, uniform, disease resistant plants. Unfortunately, these qualities will not be passed on to following generations.

Harvest

Harvest time July to October
Type of vegetable Seed and pod vegetable
Vegetable colour yellow
Size of vegetable Medium
Interest Flavour, Nutritional value
Flavour Sugary
Use Cooking

Plant habit

Height at maturity 2 m
Spread at maturity 45 cm
Growth rate normal

Foliage

Foliage persistence Deciduous
Foliage colour medium green

Botanical data

Genus

Zea

Species

mays

Cultivar

Swift

Family

Poaceae

Other common names

Maize, Corn

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Annual / Perennial

Annual

Product reference24291

Planting and care

Corn thrives in the sun, in loose and rich soil. Add compost in the previous autumn.

In spring, between April and June, corn can be sown in rows or in holes. The soil must be sufficiently warmed (12°C). In colder regions, sowing in holes of 3 to 4 seeds can be done in buckets, indoors, with sowing soil and a bit of compost. The most beautiful plant will then be transplanted into the ground around May-June.

Sowing in rows: stretch a cord and dig trenches a few centimeters deep, spacing the rows 70 cm apart. Sow one seed every 10 cm, cover with fine soil and gently firm down with the back of the rake. After germination (about ten days), thin out to keep one plant every 20 cm.

Sowing in holes: sow in holes of 3 or 4 seeds (25 cm along the row and 80 cm between rows). Germination occurs about ten days after sowing. Thin out when the seedlings have 4 leaves to keep only the best-developed plant.

Sow in staggered intervals (every 15 days, for example) to spread out the harvest.

When the corn reaches about 30 cm in height, mound up the soil around it to a height of 10 cm to promote anchoring in the ground.

Weeding and mulching will be necessary. Make sure to weed at the surface as corn roots are shallow. Corn needs to be watered regularly, about once a week if it doesn't rain. The crop rotation for corn is about 4 years.

1
7,50 € Bag
17
14,50 € Each
6
19,50 €

Seedlings

Sowing period April to June
Sowing method Direct sowing, Sowing under cover
Germination time (days) 10 days

Care

Soil moisture Wet
Disease resistance Good
Pruning No pruning necessary

Intended location

Type of use Vegetable garden
Hardiness Hardy down to -29°C (USDA zone 5) Show map
Ease of cultivation Beginner
Soil Lightweight
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Any
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light), 130
4/5
No reviews
No reviews
No reviews

Vegetable seeds

1
4,90 € Seeds
4
3,90 € Seeds
11
1,90 € Seeds
20
11,90 € Seeds
11
4,90 € Seeds
24
3,90 € Seeds
16
3,90 € Seeds
10
4,90 € Seeds

Haven't found what you were looking for?

We only deliver seed and bulb products to your country. If you add other products to your basket, they cannot be shipped.