Sweet Corn, TOP HAT - OSSI
We are big fans of Sweet Corn in late summer and we hoped we could find a good garden OP variety to enjoy with butter and salt or grilled in the husk. Well, here is our first choice after a variety trial some 2 years ago. It is ready to eat somewhere around mid- to late August here. Great OP Corn, plus, it is Open Source.
Pick the ears when a crushed grain gives off milky liquid and the tips of the silks are starting to brown, that’s the best time for sweetness; after that they become starchy. This milk stage passes quickly in hot weather.
The variety was selected out of hybrid sweet corn Tuxedo by Jonathan Spero (Lupine Knoll Farm), and contains many plants giving two ears each. During the years of selection process, he made multiple taste tests and visually marked each sweeter kernel using the way it shrivels while drying as an indicator. Lots of work, worth it indeed.
Slight sensitivity to corn smut (Huitlacoche/Mexican truffle). Look for it following wet weather and pick the grey mushroom while still soft, before it releases its spores.
OSSI-Pledged variety.
Zea mays
min. 150 seeds/pkt Reg
min. 45 seeds/pkt Mini
Lot:2023
%germ. on latest test : 98 %
Open Source Seed Initiative - Freed Seed
* OSSI Pledge
« You have the freedom to use these OSSI-Pledged seeds in any way you choose. In return, you pledge not to restrict others’ use of these seeds or their derivatives by patents or other means, and to include this Pledge with any transfer of these seeds or their derivatives. »
More info at: www.osseeds.org and check out our page « About our seeds » (scroll down).
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Notes
Availability: we will be adding more as needed. Most items listed as OUT OF STOCK may only be temporarily unavailable - We will be adding more soon, unless *LAST ONES AVAILABLE * is mentioned.
Our seeds are packaged by weight. The actual number of seeds indicated per packet may differ, but we do our best to include at least (generally more) the quantity mentioned. The quantity depends on the seed germination scores so as to include the right number of viable seeds.
Seed Starting
May be direct seeded or transplanted, from early to mid-May.
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Isolate from other corn varieties if you intend to save seeds. Any cross-contamination with feed corn will be visible as the grains will remain plump (and often orange in color) when dry, from the influence of the feed corn pollen genes (GM feed corn is generally the type of corn pollen grains found in the air if you live close to large-scale agriculture). So sort these grains out if you happen to find them in your cobs; it will tell you someone in the neighborhood grows corn and certainly not the same sweet Top Hat as yours! To save corn seed, one must have a large enough population (good number of plants, generally above 200) or quality will be lost quickly.
If your goal is to use it in the kitchen instead, the number of plants will not be as important, but to get good ears filled with grains, make sure you plant them in small groups close together so pollination is good. ‘Missing’ grains on the cob with no husk damage generally indicate an insufficient pollination.
