SILVER QUEEN
Best white sweet corn for home gardeners seeking tender, long-lasting flavor.
Discover Silver Queen, America's most popular white sweet corn, celebrated for its exceptional flavor and tenderness. This hybrid variety yields 8-inch ears with plump white kernels, maturing in about 88 days. Its special SE/se hybrid traits ensure the sweetness lasts longer after harvest. For optimal growth, plant in well-drained soil rich in nitrogen, ensuring soil temperatures are at least 70°F for germination. Planting in blocks is recommended for successful wind pollination, promising a bountiful harvest of this garden favorite.
$4.35
Owner Satisfaction
4.7
/ 5
Category Rank
270
/ 5887
#270 in Seeds & Seed Tape
Price vs Category Average
-59%
Below average
Days to Maturity
88
/ days
Who it's for
- Culinary traditionalists seeking authentic, nostalgic sweet corn flavor
- Home gardeners prioritizing high-volume harvests and visual appeal
- Reliability-focused growers wanting a proven, consistent garden performer
Who should skip it
- Busy cooks unable to process harvests immediately after picking
- Northern gardeners living in regions with short growing seasons
- Small-space gardeners unable to isolate crops from other varieties
Performance breakdown
Flavor Profile
The gold standard for sweetness and tenderness in white corn.
Post-Harvest Longevity
SE hybrid genetics keep kernels sweet long after being picked.
Disease Resistance
Strong defense against NCLB, rust, and smut for reliable yields.
Growth Requirements
Demands high nitrogen and warm soil for optimal development.
Pollination Reliability
Block planting is essential to ensure consistent, full ear development.
Maturity Consistency
Predictable 88-day harvest window allows for easy garden planning.
Key Specs
Days to Maturity
88 days
Soil Temperature for Germination
65–85°F
Seed Depth
1–2"
Thin Plants to
8–12"
Row Spacing
24–30"
Fertilizer Needs
High
Seeds per Ounce
≈ 110–250
Scientific Name
Zea mays
Features
- Exceptional eating quality and tenderness
- Sweetness lasts longer after picking
- Tender kernel walls (SE/se Hybrid)
- 8-inch ears with plump white kernels
- Resistant to NCLB, Rust, and Smut
- Requires high nitrogen for best growth
- Annual vegetable
- Full sun exposure
What customers say
Silver Queen sweet corn is celebrated as the gold standard for white corn, consistently delivering incredible sweetness, creamy texture, and tender kernels. Gardeners prize its premium eating experience, noting the flavor remains excellent whether eaten fresh or preserved. The core theme is superior taste quality. Success requires diligence, however. This variety demands a long, warm growing season, and isolation planting is critical to prevent cross pollination that diminishes its signature sweetness. While germination needs warm soil, the consensus confirms that the unmatched flavor and quality make the necessary cultivation effort entirely worthwhile for this highly regarded heirloom.
Know before you buy
Silver Queen is an SE/se hybrid, meaning it has been bred for tender kernel walls and a higher sugar content that remains sweet long after harvest. It is widely considered the gold standard for white sweet corn due to its consistent tenderness and flavor.
Corn is wind-pollinated, and planting in blocks—rather than a single long row—ensures that pollen from the tassels successfully reaches the silks on the ears. This method significantly increases the likelihood of getting fully filled, plump ears of corn.
Silver Queen is a heavy feeder, so it requires soil rich in nitrogen and consistent, high water intake throughout the growing season. Ensure you plant in a location with full sun and wait until soil temperatures reach at least 70°F for the best germination results.
This variety typically takes 88 days to reach maturity. Keep in mind that this timeline starts once the seeds are planted in soil that meets the required temperature range of 65–85°F.
Yes, this hybrid variety is specifically bred to be resistant to Northern Corn Leaf Blight (NCLB), Rust, and Smut. This built-in resistance helps protect your crop from common garden ailments that can otherwise diminish your yield.
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