Earlier this week, I wrote about the bean seeds we ordered for our 2026 garden. Before that, I shared images of all the seed packets. In this post, I am going to go over the corn seeds we purchased.
We loved growing corn last year. We grew three varieties – Hopi Blue, Butter & Sugar, and Black Iroquois, Sweet Mexican – and had success with all of them. There were definitely some lessons we learned along the way, including not planting right before a heavy period of rain, not planting too close to the fence, and keeping more space between the seeds, but it was a positive experience overall.
Because of that, we’re growing more varieties, including a popcorn variety and multiple flint corns that can be turned into cornmeal or flour. If there’s one common thread among the seeds, it’s that we want to grow heirloom varieties as much as possible. Modern sweet corn is great, but some hybrids were bred to prioritize sugar content over flavor, which we don’t like. Heirlooms help find the sweet spot of sweetness and traditional corn flavor. We’re really excited about the varieties we chose for this year’s garden.
Bear Paw
This is a variety we found late in the seed-picking process. It’s a popcorn variety, and according to the seed description, the “ears are often flattened and split at the silk end, giving them the appearance of a bear’s paw.” The Bear Paw was developed by Vermont’s Glenn Thompson, who released it in the 1930s. It was served at New England movie theaters and even featured at a World’s Fair. It matures in only 70-80 days and grows to about 4 to 5 feet tall. This is a new variety for us. It comes from Seed Savers Exchange.
Black Iroquois, Sweet Mexican
This is one of three corn varieties that we grew last year. We had success growing this variety and found it a joy to watch the kernels transition from white to nearly all bluish-black. The flavor was also amazing, and it wasn’t too sweet. It’s an heirloom variety that dates back to 1864 and likely originated in upstate New York. These seeds come from Southern Exposure.
Country Gentleman
Country Gentleman is an heirloom sweet corn variety that dates back to the 1890s. Its ears grow kernels in random patterns (called shoepeg) rather than neat rows and on stalks that can be taller than nine feet. While sweet, it’s less sweet than modern varieties. This will be the first year we grow this variety. Our seeds came from Sow True.
Hjerleid Blue
Even though the kernels of this variety turn blue when they mature, Hjerleid Blue is a sweet corn. The kernels start out white but transition into a dark blue, almost violet color. It is an heirloom that dates back to the 1940s when Ludwig Hjerleid developed it in Wisconsin. The plants will reach 4 to 6 feet tall and produce short, 4- to 6-inch ears. This is our first year growing this variety, and the seeds come from Seed Savers Exchange.
Hopi Blue
We grew this corn last year with great success until the point where the ears needed to dry out. As a flint/flour corn, Hopi Blue is meant to stay on the stalk until it’s dried out, much like dry beans should stay on their plants. Unfortunately, deer got to our ears before they dried out. Apart from that, the corn was great. The stalks reached more than 7 feet in height, and it was beautiful to see how different this variety looked compared to the sweet corn varieties we grew. This variety dates back more than 800 years, when the Hopi Tribe grew it in Northern Arizona. In fact, it’s still grown by them in the same region. Last year, we got the seeds from Fedco, but this year, they’re coming from Pinetree Gardens.
Luther Hill
Luther Hill is an heirloom sweet corn named for the horticulturalist who developed it in New Jersey in 1902. It’s popular in the Mid-Atlantic region for its ability to navigate a wide range of temperatures. Short, 5 1/2-foot stalks produce 2 ears per plant with shorter, white-kernel ears. It’s supposed to have a great flavor. This will be our first year growing this variety. The seeds come from Southern Exposure.
Northern Lights
Northern Lights is a gorgeous flint corn that produces ears with multicolor kernels in blue, red, yellow, and purple. It’s used as a grinding corn for flour. It’s our first year growing this variety, and the seeds come from Baker Creek.
Painted Mountain
Like Northern Lights, Painted Mountain is a flint corn developed for grinding into flour. This variety produces kernels of gold, orange, red, and purple and was developed to grow in some of the harshest conditions. This is a new variety for us, and the seeds come from Fedco.
Stowells Evergreen
Stowells Evergreen is an heirloom sweet corn that dates back to 1838 and is named after Nathaniel Stowell, who developed it. The stalks grow to 7 1/2 feet tall and produce 7- to 8-inch ears. We haven’t grown this in the past. Our seeds come from Pinetree Gardens.
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