Espresso Bicolor Sweet Corn

seeds

1/2oz: $4.50; Item: 574-A
2oz: $11.50; Item: 574-B
8oz: $22.00; Item: 574-C
1lb: $38.00; Item: 574-D
5lb: $180.00; Item: 574-E

Zea mays

Quicker than quicksilver, fleeter than Fleet, springier than Spring Treat, Espresso bursts out of the gate and flashes to the finish. Has become Eric Sideman’s new favorite early sweet corn; he says it has better flavor than Spring Treat. He seeds Espresso in the last week of April and transplants to the garden the first week of May using row covers for added warmth and frost protection. Direct seeding without row covers, trialer Donna Dyrek in 2012 in Zone 4 Hartland, Maine, clay loam, enjoyed her first ears on Aug. 18. Though not as long as the midseason corns, these 6" ears retained the good balance between sweet and corny that will satisfy your early corn craving. Tolerates R, ST.

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* We are currently receiving seed from our growers. We may hold orders for up to two weeks as we pack seed to complete orders.

Additional Information

Sweet Corn at a Glance

	variety	days	color	type (see below)	height	ear length	# rows
506	Cafe	68	yellow	Synergistic	60-72"	8"	14-16
516	Ashworth OP	72	yellow	Normal Sugary	60"	6-7"	12
541	Bodacious RM	77	yellow	Sugary Enhanced	87"	8"	18
561	Incredible RM	85	yellow	Sugary Enhanced	90"	8"	18
572	Latte	68	bicolor	Synergistic	48-72"	8"	14
574	Espresso	70	bicolor	Synergistic	72"	6"	12-16
582	Ambrosia	75	bicolor	Sugary Enhanced	78"	8"	16
590	Cappuccino	78	bicolor	Synergistic	72-84"	8"	14-16
592	Sparkler	78	bicolor	Synergistic	84"	8-9"	16-18
636	Luther Hill OP	82	white	Normal Sugary	48"	3-6"	12
660	Nirvana	75	bicolor	Supersweet	83"	8"	16-18
595	Moonshine	78	yellow	Supersweet	84"	8"	16-18

Types of sweet corn

Normal Sugary (su): standard varieties with traditional sweet corn texture & flavor. Sugar converts to starch quickly, so eat them within a few days. Tend to have high yields and germinate well in cool soils.

Sugary Enhanced (se): more sugar than su, tender kernels & slightly longer storage time. The * indicates heterozygous (only one parent contributes the se gene); all others are homozygous (both parents se).

Supersweet (sh2): 4 to 10 times the sugar content of su and se. Conversion of sugar to starch occurs at a much slower rate. Stays sweet long after harvest. Extra shriveled seed does not germinate well in cool soil.

Synergistic: more sugar than se. Very tender with long harvest and storage windows. Can be homozygous or heterozygous se with added sh2 kernels.

TripleSweet® Sugary Enhanced: has homozygous se kernels, and 25% of these also contain the sh2 trait.

Corn

About 85–200 seeds/oz. Seeds per packet vary.
- Open-pollinated selections average 100 seeds/oz
- Normal sugary varieties 140 seeds/oz
- SE cultivars with shrunken seeds 150-160 seeds/oz
Days to maturity are from emergence after direct sowing; for transplants, subtract 20 days.

Culture: Untreated sweet corn seed will not germinate in cold wet soil. Please be patient and wait till soil warms to at least 60° before sowing, or start seedlings indoors and transplant at 3–6" before taproots take off. Minimum soil temperature 55°, optimal temperature range 65–85°. Tender, will not survive frost. Heavy nitrogen requirements.

Germination Testing

For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.

Our Seeds are Non-GMO

All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.