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Non-GMO
Easy to Grow
Heirloom

Country Gentleman (White Shoepeg) Sweet Corn

Quick Facts:

  • Heirloom "shoepeg" variety ca.1890
  • 8-foot-tall plants, 8-9" long ears
  • White, irregularly spaced kernels
  • Sweet and tender
  • 90 days to harvest

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Quantity: Packet (50 Seeds)

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We ship to all areas of North America including the United States, its territories and outlying islands, and Canada. International orders may incur an additional charge to cover the handling of customs paperwork. Returns are accepted within 30 days of receipt. Full warranty information can be found here.

Country Gentleman Sweet Corn

More about Country Gentleman

Zea mays

Also known as "White Shoepeg Corn," Country Gentleman is an heirloom sweet corn variety that was released in 1890 by S.D. Woodruff and Sons.  Bred over a period of fourteen years, proprietor Frank Woodruff named the variety Shoe Peg Corn, referencing the long, slender shape of the kernels.  The unique corn immediately gained traction and has maintained its popularity ever since. 

Country Gentleman is an excellent garden variety with eight-foot-tall plants that produce 8 to 9-inch-long ears, densely packed with sweet, white, irregularly spaced kernels.  Although not as sweet as modern hybrids, Country Gentleman was one of the sweetest varieties of its time and remains a great variety today.  We recommend... More

Less

Zea mays

Also known as "White Shoepeg Corn," Country Gentleman is an heirloom sweet corn variety that was released in 1890 by S.D. Woodruff and Sons.  Bred over a period of fourteen years, proprietor Frank Woodruff named the variety Shoe Peg Corn, referencing the long, slender shape of the kernels.  The unique corn immediately gained traction and has maintained its popularity ever since. 

Country Gentleman is an excellent garden variety with eight-foot-tall plants that produce 8 to 9-inch-long ears, densely packed with sweet, white, irregularly spaced kernels.  Although not as sweet as modern hybrids, Country Gentleman was one of the sweetest varieties of its time and remains a great variety today.  We recommend picking this variety 21 days after pollination when the kernels are at their peak sweetness.  It is among our favorites for freezing since the residual starch in the kernels does a great job of soaking up water, leading to a creamy consistency upon thawing. 90 days to harvest.  A packet contains a minimum of 50 seeds.

Fun Fact: Research published in 1998 demonstrated that the disorganized, crowded appearance of the kernels in Shoe Peg corn is due to a naturally occurring mutation in the gene indeterminatespikelet1, which occasionally causes extra kernels to be produced by the ear's floral organs. With nowhere to go, the kernels fill out the space they have, leading to a crooked row pattern and narrow, deep-set kernels.

Zea mays

Also known as "White Shoepeg Corn," Country Gentleman is an heirloom sweet corn variety that was released in 1890 by S.D. Woodruff and Sons.  Bred over a period of fourteen years, proprietor Frank Woodruff named the variety Shoe Peg Corn, referencing the long, slender shape of the kernels.  The unique corn immediately gained traction and has maintained its popularity ever since. 

Country Gentleman is an excellent garden variety with eight-foot-tall plants th... read more

read less

Zea mays

Also known as "White Shoepeg Corn," Country Gentleman is an heirloom sweet corn variety that was released in 1890 by S.D. Woodruff and Sons.  Bred over a period of fourteen years, proprietor Frank Woodruff named the variety Shoe Peg Corn, referencing the long, slender shape of the kernels.  The unique corn immediately gained traction and has maintained its popularity ever since. 

Country Gentleman is an excellent garden variety with eight-foot-tall plants that produce 8 to 9-inch-long ears, densely packed with sweet, white, irregularly spaced kernels.  Although not as sweet as modern hybrids, Country Gentleman was one of the sweetest varieties of its time and remains a great variety today.  We recommend picking this variety 21 days after pollination when the kernels are at their peak sweetness.  It is among our favorites for freezing since the residual starch in the kernels does a great job of soaking up water, leading to a creamy consistency upon thawing. 90 days to harvest.  A packet contains a minimum of 50 seeds.

Fun Fact: Research published in 1998 demonstrated that the disorganized, crowded appearance of the kernels in Shoe Peg corn is due to a naturally occurring mutation in the gene indeterminatespikelet1, which occasionally causes extra kernels to be produced by the ear's floral organs. With nowhere to go, the kernels fill out the space they have, leading to a crooked row pattern and narrow, deep-set kernels.

Gardener holding seedlings
person holding seedlings

How to Grow Corn

Corn performs best in soil that is well-drained, but also able to hold onto some moisture, as corn tends to use quite a bit of water during its active growth phase.  Working in a healthy dose of well-composted manure in the fall will ensure that the rapidly growing plants receive adequate water and nutrition. 

After danger of frost has passed and soil temps have reached 55 degrees, sow seeds 9-12" apart, 1" deep, in rows 24-36" apart.  To maximize pollination use a paired row or square plot configuration.  Under ideal conditions, germination will occur in 7-10 days.

Not recommended

Insect Pests

Biological controls such as Bacillus thuringiensis can be effecting in controlling common corn pests like corn borer and earworm.  Aphids, Japanese beetles, and other hard-shelled insects can be controlled with a simple homemade insecticidal soap solution.

Diseases & Other Problems

Corn is susceptible to a number of plant diseases.  Consult your local extension office to learn which diseases are most prevalent in your region. Crop rotation, tillage, and removal of plant debris are all effective tools in managing common corn diseases.

Sweet corn is ready to harvest approximately 21 days after pollination. At peak, the kernel tips should be rounded and glossy. Shelling corn can be harvested once the husks have dried and the kernels have sufficiently hardened.  To test for maturity, pull back the husk and remove a kernel from the ear.  If the tip at the base of the kernel breaks off to reveal a brown "abscission" layer, the ears are ready to harvest.

CONSIDERATIONS:

To maintain genetic diversity, save seed from at least 50 to 100 plants.  If open-pollinated, plants should be isolated from other corn varieties by at least 1/4 mile.  Otherwise, hand-pollination can be performed.

HARVESTING SEED:

Wait until ears have reached full maturity and the kernels cannot be pierced by your fingernail. Peel back the husk and harvest the ear by pulling down and twisting. Place in a mesh bag or basket and allow to continue to dry for two weeks. Shell ears using a manual corn shelling tool or tightly grip a gloved hand around the ear and twist to separate the kernels from the cob. Winnow to remove any chaff and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

SEED LONGETIVITY:

Corn seeds will maintain 50% viability for three years when stored in a cool, dark place.

Hand pollinating corn

Customer Reviews

Based on 5 reviews
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W
Weaver Cattle Co
Popcorn!

I grew several rows of this last year and this is clearly POPCORN and not sweet corn!

It is extremely tall and prone to being blown over by wind too.

We ended up cutting it down and feeding it to our cattle instead. Planting this was a complete waste of time!

Thank you for your honest review! We don't produce any tall popcorn varieties, so this is unlikely due to a seed mix-up, however I think you accurately describe some of the challenges to growing heirloom sweetcorn. The narrow harvest window of Country Gentleman makes it difficult to time picking and it will never be as sweet or tender as the sugary-enhances Supersweet hybrids we're used to today, but we still find it worth preserving and it can be quite good when harvested at a very young stage. Secondly, it is true that this variety can get quite tall, which makes it more prone to lodging-- selection for short stature is a more recent focus of sweetcorn breeding. We're going to send you a free sample of Hayes White sweet corn, which I think will be more to your liking. It is a short-statured (~4' at maturity) variety with very tender, white kernels that come as close to modern sweetcorn flavor and texture as anything we've found. We hope you'll like this sweetcorn better (and that these plants don't find its way to the cattle lot ;)

G
Glenn Hall
So far so good

It's only been around 2 weeks since they sprouted, but they are growing great.

S
Sarah Defnet
It will be knee high by the 4th of July

Planted my corn late but it is thriving and germinating well. Glad I found thresh seed .. great varieties with reasonable shipping.

J
Jaime Hudson
Still growing but doing great

My corn is growing so fast. Can wait to let my kids pick it and eat it.

W
William Coffel
Country gentleman

Everything looks good so far plants look good

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