Extra tender Swift is a sweet choice...
Nothing beats the flavour of a cob of sweet corn picked from the garden and eaten within minutes, especially if rolled in a little butter. It's one of the great treats of summer. The trouble has been that sweet corn was not always a reliable crop in the UK with its unpredictable summers. In recent years, however, there has been much breeding work aimed at producing strains which not only crop well, but also have an outstanding flavour and texture.
Sweet Corn Swift F1 is an outstanding example of what is termed the ‘Xtra Tender’ type and, as its name suggests, it is fast maturing and early to crop. It really is a big improvement on earlier varieties.
Xtra Tender sweet corn is a development from the ‘supersweet’ types which were developed in the 1980s and considered a major advance in their time. They revolutionised sweet corn world because they contained the sH2 gene which dramatically slowed down the rate at which sugars turned to starch in the kernels meaning the cobs remained sweeter for longer.
These Xtra Tender varieties were first developed in the USA during the 1990s. They also possessed the sH2 gene, but in addition had higher sugar levels and a thinner pericarp (outer skin of each kernel), which meant they were even tastier than the supersweets. Incidentally, these advances in sweet corn breeding have been achieved by natural selection and not by manipulated genetic modification.
There was, however, a downside to this advance! Unfortunately the Xtra Tenders were more sensitive to colder conditions. In an attempt to overcome this disadvantage, a British breeding company conducted extensive trials on all the Xtra Tender types in the early 00s to determine which were best suited to UK conditions.
Swift was one of the few varieties which really stood out and is now available to Britain’s gardeners. Its attractive, golden yellow cobs are sweet and tender, juicy and succulent.
All of these varieties are available on the Mr Fothergill's website www.mr-fothergills.co.uk
Mr Fothergill’s Seeds
Mr Fothergill's is one of the best know names in gardening, with a reputation for quality products and remains a wholly family-owned and managed, British business. Its seeds are available from garden centres and other retailers nationwide, while seeds, plants and a host of gardening products are offered by mail order from either catalogues or its website. It is always ready to help and advise gardeners old or new, and is proud of its traditional family values.