Sweet Corn Golden Bantam - Zea Mays
Sweet Corn Golden Bantam - Zea Mays
Sweet Corn Golden Bantam - Zea Mays
Zea mays Golden Bantam
Sweet corn 'Golden Bantam'
Excellent variety – 90% germination in pots in an unheated greenhouse. Each plant produced one fine spike plus another smaller one. I had a few spikes with pollination problems, but that was my own fault: I didn't plant enough plants, so they couldn't pollinate each other properly. I grew them using the MILPA system (with squashes on the bed and beans climbing at the base of the maize), and it was a great success! I'll be growing this variety again next year.
Sarah, 09/12/2025
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Description
Zea mays 'Golden Bantam' is a semi-early variety of sweet corn. The plants are quite tall (1.5 to 2m (5 to 7ft)) and produce 1 or 2 ears per plant. The cobs are yellow and measure 15cm (6in) in length, with large, milky, sweet, and tasty grains. The milky phase is short, and the ears should be picked without delay when they are ready. Sow from March to June for a harvest from July to October. It is a very old variety originating from the USA.
Sweet corn likes deep, light, moist, and humus-rich soils. Corn plants like a sunny exposure and need warmth. When planted on the edge of a vegetable garden, they will help to delimit the cultivation areas and provide shade for vegetables that need it (lettuce, cabbage, etc.).
Sweet corn is a natural variant of corn. It has many nutritional benefits. It is low in lipids and low in calories. It is richer in protein than rice, and five times richer in fibre. Its glycaemic index is moderate. In addition, it contains many B-group vitamins and vitamin C. It also contains many minerals and trace elements.
Harvest: sweet corn is harvested 80 to 120 days after sowing, depending on the heat and watering. Harvest when the silks start to turn brown. The grains should be fully developed but still tender. To check if they are ripe, take a few grains from an ear and crush them: they should be slightly milky. If harvested too late, the sugar turns into starch and the skin becomes tough.
Storage: after harvesting, remove the green sheath that surrounds the ear and consume it quickly. To store them for a longer period, cook them and then preserve them in jars or freeze them.
Gardener's Tip: traditionally, Native Americans cultivate corn alongside climbing beans and squash. These three plants benefit each other: nitrogen nutrition from the beans, support from the corn, and ground cover from the squash leaves. First, sow the corn. When it reaches 10cm (4in) in height, sow two bean seeds and two squash seeds around the corn.
Harvest
Plant habit
Foliage
Botanical data
Zea
mays
Golden Bantam
Poaceae
Sweet corn 'Golden Bantam'
Cultivar or hybrid
Annual
Planting and care
Sowing sweet corn
Soak the seeds in warm water for 12 hours. Sow in full sun. In the garden, sow from April to June in warm soil (at least 12°C (53.6°F)). You can place a tunnel over early sowings until the temperatures warm up enough. You can start sowing in pots indoors as early as March, and plant them in May-June in the garden. Stagger your sowings to spread out the production period. Only sow one variety at a time, or two varieties with staggered flowering: sweet corn easily hybridises. This means you won't harvest the variety you sowed! If your garden is less than 200m (656ft) from a cornfield, you will need to protect your crop during flowering.
To sow in rows, dig furrows 3cm (1in) deep, spaced 70cm (28in) apart. Sow thinly. After germination, thin to 25 to 30cm (10 to 12in) along the row. If you are only sowing a few plants, sow them in a square rather than one or two long rows to ensure better pollination.
To sow indoors, place 2 to 3 seeds per pot in seed compost, mixed with a little compost. Then plant the best-developed seedling.
Cultivating sweet corn
Sweet corn likes rich soils. During the previous autumn, add manure or compost to the soil to enrich the area intended for sowing. The roots are shallow, so hoeing should be very superficial. To help root establishment, mound up the corn when it reaches 20cm (8in), then 40cm (16in) in height. Water regularly if it doesn't rain (once a week), and cover the soil with mulch to retain moisture (grass clippings, straw).
To facilitate pollination, shake the plant when the female flowers (located two-thirds up the stalk) turn beige. This way, the pollen from the male flower (located at the top of the stalk) will fall onto the female flowers.
The corn borer caterpillar, a destructive moth of corn, sometimes burrows into the stalks, causing them to break. As a preventive measure, shred the crop residues before using them (for compost or mulch). Practice good crop rotation by not growing corn in the same plot for 3 or 4 years. In case of a severe infestation, you can spray a solution of Bacillus thuringiensis.
Seedlings
Care
Intended location
Planting & care advice
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a (East Coast and Midlands: Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Portlaoise). It will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the north-west (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal, Westport), delay planting by 1 to 2 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 1 to 2 weeks in autumn compared to the dates given, preferably choosing periods without strong winds.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (Wicklow Mountains, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, Connemara, Killarney), it is best to plant in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October), avoiding periods of waterlogged soil in winter and strong winds, which pose the main risk to newly planted trees in these areas.
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to regions in USDA Zone 9a, such as the East Coast and Midlands, including Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Portlaoise.
This will vary depending on where you live:
- On the west coast and in the northwest (Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal and Westport), it will be delayed by one to two weeks compared to the given dates, due to stronger Atlantic winds and less spring sunshine.
- In the inland hills and plateaus (the Wicklow Mountains, the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Connemara and Killarney), flowering will be delayed by two to three weeks. Flowering mainly occurs between May and July, with the limiting factors being less frost and more of the excessive humidity, strong winds and lack of sunshine that are characteristic of these areas.
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