Zea mays

Seed type: F1

Earlibird is a middle-season maturing hybrid, following on from Northern Extra Sweet.

There are three basic types of sweet corn: 'normal sugary', old fashion types whose sugar is converted to starch relatively quickly: 'sugary enhanced', with generally higher levels of sugar and a moderate holding capacity; and 'super sweet' which have sugar levels up to twice those found in normal sugary varieties. There is apparently a fourth type of sweet corn – called 'synergistic' in the States – though we don't know much about it yet.

We only sell super sweet hybrids. The reason is simple: they not only have high concentrations of sugar, but they also stay sweeter longer, both before and after harvest. Unfortunately, though, they suffer from lower vigour when sown in cold conditions, but starting them as transplants in a greenhouse or tunnel should overcome this problem.

Sweet corn takes more than 3 months to produce a crop, and unlike many vegetables, the harvest period is short. The three varieties we sell mature at different times, and growing all three should stretch out the season. Do remember, though, that choosing varieties to extend the harvest is not an exact science, and the harvest periods between varieties will overlap to varying degrees, depending to a great extent on the weather.

Approx. number of seed per pack: 40