Gourdseed Corn

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There are many benefits from growing this corn in your own back yard. Aside from the fact that it has real corn flavor, it’s remarkably adaptable. Gourdseed evolved over many centuries over a wide swath of the United States. It does just as well in Pennsylvania or Iowa as it does in Mississippi or Texas. This is a big plus for an heirloom corn, since many old corns evolved in response to specific soils and microclimates. Another benefit from gourdseed is that it does well in clay soil and withstands droughts, so two common garden headaches — heavy soil and watering issues — can be met head-on. It’s also relatively pest-free, so you can grow it organically with little trouble.

Optimal planting time for gourdseed corn is after the last frost. It matures in roughly 130 days, but if you like, you can also harvest it in the milk stage (while still soft and sweet), and eat it raw, Native American-style, as sweet corn. It’s even better grilled over hot coals.

The plants themselves grow anywhere from 8 to 12 feet tall, each with two ears high up on the stalks, well out of reach for raccoons. There should be 18 to 22 rows of corn on each cob, and because of the shape of the kernels, which stick out from the cob almost at a 90 degree angle, the corn is easy to remove from the cob, almost with the flick of your finger. I have grown this corn in hills 4 feet apart in all directions, as well as 8 to 10 inches apart in rows — with no real difference in productivity. The advantage of the hills was that I could also let beans twine up the corn, and because this corn is a robust grower with strong stalks, it can bear the weight of some of the larger heirloom pole beans, such as ‘Indiana Wild Goose,’ ‘Ohio Pole,’ and even some small-podded lima beans such as ‘Carolina Lima (Sieva),’ ‘Speckled Saba’ or ‘Willow Leaf.’

You can add interest to Thanksgiving dinner by using some gourdseed corn as decoration on the table. Or cook the unique kernels in stock and add them to wild rice as a turkey stuffing. The long narrow kernels are interesting in many recipes. If you grind a large quantity of flour or cornmeal from your gourdseed corn, store the extra flour in an airtight container in the freezer. Do the same with the whole kernels. This will both preserve flavor and keep the flour from turning rancid once it’s ground.

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