Zea mays 'Painted Hill' (Sweet Corn)

Painted Hill is a heritage open-pollinated sweet corn that earns its name with stunning multicolored ears, kernels ranging from golden yellow to creamy white with flashes of red and burgundy woven through each cob. The flavor is genuinely sweet and tender at peak harvest, and because it's open-pollinated, you can save seeds from the best ears to plant again next season. Stalks typically reach five to seven feet, maturing in roughly 70 to 75 days from transplant.

Corn is a heavy feeder that thrives in rich, well-drained soil with consistent moisture. Because it's wind-pollinated, it performs best planted in a block of at least three rows rather than a single line. Thin seedlings to about ten inches apart and keep nitrogen levels high throughout the season. On the Oregon coast, starting transplants under cover and waiting until soil temperatures hit 60 degrees F gives Painted Hill the warm conditions it needs to size up properly.

Painted Hill also makes a beautiful dried corn for fall display.