Because these corns are dissimilar, the quality will be be affected by cross pollination. The Kandy Korn may lose some of its sweetness, particularly as it crosses with the Pencil Cob.

From what I understand from reading (no personal experience with it though ~ have always just grown one type of corn by itself), it will affect the current ears' taste because you are eating the seed itself. When a plant is cross-pollinated, only the seed itself is changed ~ not the fruit, tuber, bulb, etc. So crossing in other vegetables won't be noticeable by eating the current year's produce since you'll be eating the fruit (such as with tomatoes and squash), tuber (potatoes), bulb (onions), etc. ~ all parts which remain unchanged by cross pollination.

Which brings up a question from me for anyone reading ~ do crossed shelly or dried beans or peas (cowpeas or green/snow peas) taste different? I don't have any experience with that either, neither personal nor through reading. You're eating the seed, so it seems they would taste different, but I've never heard mention of it, atleast not that I remember. Maybe because they don't readily cross, so there's not much experience to be had with it?

Corn is an outbreeder meaning that routinely and regularly crosses with other corn plants nearby. If you have even a small background in genetics, it will seem strange that the seed would be modified by outside pollen, after all, only the germ part would be changed, not the rest of the seed. This is NOT the way corn reproduces. When pollen fertilizes the ovule, one set of chromosomes migrates to the germ forming an embryo which is what will grow when the seed is planted. Another set of chromosomes migrates to the area that will become the endosperm where it becomes part of the stored nutrients. This is why a white ear of corn growing next to a yellow variety of corn will wind up with yellow kernels.

Beans are natural inbreeders as are tomatoes. This means that they very rarely cross, relying instead on self-pollination. This means that beans will not cross at a level that is detectable to the grower. When I have found a cross growing in my garden, it was always as a plant that grew from the cross pollinated bean seed. For example, in 2008, I had three crossed plants of Neckargold in my garden. One had purple stems, one had brown seed, and one had flattened seed. Because I know exactly how Neckargold is supposed to look, it was easy to find the variants and cull them from the plants I was saving seed from. It is important to know that beans cross at an average rate of about 1%. Tomatoes cross at an average of about 5%. There are some varieties that are more likely than others to be promiscuous. Goose beans for example cross about 2 or 3 times more often than most other beans.

DarJones

Yes, corn is the one exception to cross-pollination. In other things the current crop is not affected, only the seeds. For corn, that isn't true. The current crop IS affected since the kernels ARE the seeds. ;)

It is best to stick with one variety only. The only other option is to plant the different varieties very far apart - as far as possible like not in the same garden. Plant one early and one late variety and stage their planting times so that only one variety is in tassels and silk at one time.

For best results, pick one for this year and save the others for other year gardens.

Dave

common beans (P. vulgaris) and English peas (Pisum sativum) don't cross readily. Cowpeas do, but usually the flavor differential between cultivars is not sufficient to stand out, unless you have highly refined taste buds.

thanks so much for all the help---I've learned a lot. I'll just choose 1 & grow it this year.

I'm learning, too, KKinal ~ glad you asked this again. And hope you don't mind if I hijack the hell out of your thread to ask a few more questions. ;)

"Another set of chromosomes migrates to the area that will become the endosperm where it becomes part of the stored nutrients. This is why a white ear of corn growing next to a yellow variety of corn will wind up with yellow kernels."
That's what always confused me, DarJones. I've read that the seed coats of F1 beans and peas weren't affected by the cross since it was controlled by the mother plant, and had read a couple places that the endosperm was as well (hence, no taste difference in F1s), but was just a bit confused were saying that corn acted different. Good to know it really is that corn acts different and it's not my brain's inability to compute. ;)

So, what's your take on the "I grew bell peppers next to my jalapenos and got hot bell peppers" myth/debate? For quite some time, I've been in the camp that says you won't notice a cross until you grow out the seeds ~ that the people saying they got hot sweet peppers from crossing either simply honestly mislabeled their plants or their seed source accidentally sent them crossed or wrong seed. But thinking about corn being different makes me think maybe peppers could be and it's just not widely known. Having no great knowledge on this subject leaves me wondering if maybe those who say the white placental tissue is affected by a cross might be on to something. Do you know for sure? Has there been any "new" info found concerning this?

kkinal, there is spatial separation and also temporal separation. If you have much different times to maturity (I don't know for your chosen varieties you need to look it up) then pollination could happen at such different times you might be able to get away with growing different corns together and having them not cross. Something to think about when picking what to grow. Another way would be maybe, if they all have same days to maturity, give one variety a long enough head start?

I also will be growing golden bantam for the first time this year too. I am growing it for my sweetie, I like corn for making corn bread and tamales myself (still have not found a good one for tamales, but the blue is great for corn bread) but he likes sweet corn. I could not find so many that were not hybrid and that one sounded good in their description.

knittlin, I have tasted differences in mixed up corn (I intentionally planted blue hopi and sweet silver together). They did not even mix as much as I had expected, but the row organization on the kernels also changed, and the taste. The white corn did not turn blue, but a few cobs tasted less sweet and the grains in it were organized differently. Some of the sweet corn was not affected at all and still tasted like sweet corn. The blue corn was a lot smaller, but I cannot say this was due to crossing for sure, since all the corn was badly abused by the late Santa Ana winds we had so I got only a tiny crop (fall crop).

I have not had enough bean crosses to really taste any difference. There was a pod or two, they got lost in the rest of the beans in the pot that day....

If you plant several varieties together they will most surely cross and you may have some funny tasting corn.

Here is a link that might be useful: Win Free Stuff

I tried the temporal thing one year. Early corn in one bed, late corn in another. I thought I was so smart!

What a disaster - misshapen kernels, odd ears. I'll never do that again!

Florrie

I thought it was okay to plant several varieties of SE together... no?

Last year I grew one variety, yellow popcorn, and I wish I had the room for it this year but I am expanding my tomato and beet growing area so herbs will take the space that the corn took last year. I would recommend yellow popcorn as I personally don't prefer sweet corn...but that's just my opinion of course. If you like popcorn though, try growing it at home.

I raised 8 plantings of sweet corn last year...in Indiana. I had 3 different varieties. So it is easy to grow more than one variety and 3 plantings of a variety in that mix here with no crossing at all. It just takes the proper time spacings. Surely it would be possible in Alabama!

I will plant golden bantam (75 DTM) and Hickory King (I think 120 DTM). Of course I realize that for the Hickory king, the DTM means when the corn is all dried up since this is how you harvest. For the sweet golden bantam DTM means when the cobs are full but still tender, since they are eaten on the cob (not made into corn meal). Still, I hope the temporal separation is enough, since the space separation will not be that much. There is a small building structure in between the two plots so they will not be right next to each other. I plan on sowing the seed at the same time, as soon as it warms up a little around here.

plant several varieties of SE together... no?

Stacey - do you mean planted all at the same time when you say "together"? If so then no, as indicated above, they will cross and flavor of the kernels will be affected. They may still taste ok but they won't be variety-true taste or appearance.

But if you mean planted in succession (temporal separation) then, as discussed above, yes.

Dave

Digdirt, do you find alot of difference in the tastes of SE corn varieties?

Fusion_power, I always wondered how "you eat the corn seed" could entirely explain what happens. Your info was most helpful and may send me off to read more.

Also, how much diffence in DTM would one look for when planting more than one variety?

And how far apart are we talking for corn being grown to eat, not being saved for seed? How would you advise people who grow corn in a community garden plot.

naturegirl,

If you plant 2 varieties on the same day, they need about 10 days or more difference in DTM [days to maturity]. Yet, why plant them that way...the summer is loong!

In spacing apart in a community garden, it is best to have 100 or more feet apart on corn that is tasseling at the same time, but less space apart will still give ok results perhaps. Likely about 5 to 10% of kernels will be crossed.

Ok I have a question. If you have popcorn (100-105 DTM) and sweet corn (85), would you plant the sweet corn first and then 10-14 days later plant the popcorn or the other way round?

shebear,

That might be a bit hard to say for sure. Some varieties[especially supersweets] are not reccomended to be planted until the soil warms up. The popcorn is likely to tassel and pollinate at about the same many days from sowing as the sweet corn. So it would be best to plant either 2 weeks from the other.......plant the popcorn east of the sweet corn if possible to minimize any stray or late pollen drift.

Thanks. The popcorn will be south of the corn with tall sunflowers, lots of CRW tomato cages and cucumber trellises and about 200' between them. Since I'd like to have the sweet corn for 4th of July, I'll just be safe and wait 3 weeks for the popcorn. It's going to be part of a three sisters planting so I don't think it'll matter when we do it. I could even wait until fall if I need to.

Popcorn tassels about the same time as other corn; the DTM probably is referring to the days till the ears are dried out which is when they are harvested. The only difference I noticed between yellow popcorn and field corn is the size.

Yeah I knew the DTM for popcorn was for the dry corn......otherwise it wouldn't BE popcorn but I wondered if anyone had any idea how long it took to tassel or for the corn to dry. I've never done popcorn and the junior master gardeners wanted to do the three sisters thing. Looks like they won't be seeing that happen unless they want to wait until fall.