Guest Columnist
A seven year project to develop a new, superior variety of organic corn named "Who Gets Kissed" (WGK) was announced at the end of 2014. Seed availability through much of the next two years was limited.
In fact, only one seed company (High Mowing Organic Seeds) had seeds availability. They were chosen and continue to be the primary seed source due to their commitment to organics. The availability issue seems to have been resolved, so local gardeners might want to give it a try. Packages typically come with 100 or so seeds, which is enough to satisfy a small garden.
Jointly developed by the Organic Seed Alliance and the University of Wisconsin, WGK comes with numerous advantages. First, it has a superior flavor and sweetness, due to an increased sugar content. It's also tender. The seed has cool and wet soil emergence, meaning it can be planted slightly earlier than regular organic corn seeds. WGK is the only open-pollinated variety of sweet corn developed and released in roughly 100 years, plus it was developed by farmers and the university.
WGK is organic and open-pollinated, meaning, it is a variety, not a hybrid. So, the seed will reproduce true to form. If needed, pests can be controlled with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Kernels are white and yellow.
Ears are 7-8" long, and production quantity is very good. The general rule is to pick the ears when the silk turns brown. This usually occurs some 18-24 days after the silk first appeared. As with most corn varieties, eat right away, or cool to 32° within an hour to halt/slow down the sugar content loss.
When so much of today's corn seeds are owned/controlled by Monsanto and Syngenta, it is difficult to overstate the importance of a new corn variety, particularly an organic variety.
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