Plant Finder
Early Xtra Sweet Corn
Zea mays 'Early Xtra Sweet'
Height: 6 feet
Spacing: 12 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
A beautiful variety that produces golden kernels on 9 inch long cobs; ready to harvest 2 weeks earlier; plant in gardens in rows of 4 or as natural screening; sweet flavor profile with tender kernels, great for salsas, salads or eating right off the cob
Edible Qualities
Early Xtra Sweet Corn is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces small cobs of yellow long kernels which are harvested from mid summer to early fall. The kernels have a sweet taste and a crisp texture.
The kernels are most often used in the following ways:
- Eating When Cooked/Prepared
- Cooking
- Canning
- Freezing
Planting & Growing
Early Xtra Sweet Corn will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop. Because of its relatively short time to maturity, it lends itself to a series of successive plantings each staggered by a week or two; this will prolong the effective harvest period. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.
This plant can be integrated into a landscape or flower garden by creative gardeners, but is usually grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.