Two colors on one cob, sweetness like it came from a confectioner’s shop. Ramondia F1 is a mid-early, hybrid supersweet corn variety. On large, well-filled cobs, golden-yellow kernels mingle with white ones (about 30%), so each cob looks like something from a New England farmers’ market. The kernels are tender, juicy and exceptionally sweet – exactly what you expect from corn off the grill.
At a glance
- Type: supersweet sweet corn, F1 hybrid
- Kernels: two-colored – golden-yellow and white
- Maturity: mid-early
- Direct sowing: second ten days of May
- Harvest: August – September
- Position: sunny, fertile soil
- Difficulty: easy – warmth and sunlight are all it needs
- Seeds per packet: approx. 70 (10 g)
What makes this variety special
Two-colored corn is still rare in Central Europe, and Ramondia F1 combines an eye-catching appearance with what matters most in sweet corn – high sugar content and thin kernel skins. Supersweet varieties have an additional advantage: after harvest, they convert sugar into starch more slowly than standard sweet corn, so the cobs retain their flavor on the way from the garden bed to the pot.
The plants produce large cobs, evenly filled with kernels right to the tip. As an F1 hybrid, Ramondia is uniform – the cobs mature at a similar time, making harvesting and planning for freezing easier.
Growing step by step
Sowing (second ten days of May, directly outdoors): corn does not tolerate cold soil – sow when the ground has warmed to at least 10–12°C, in practice around May 10. Place 2–3 seeds per spot, 4–6 cm deep, with 40 × 40 cm spacing. Germination takes 7–14 days.
Thinning: after emergence, leave one, or at most two, of the strongest plants in each spot. Pull out the excess plants carefully so as not to damage the neighboring roots.
Block planting: corn is wind-pollinated, so plant it in several short rows next to one another (a block of at least 4 × 4 plants), rather than in one long row. Otherwise, the cobs will have gaps between the kernels. Do not mix supersweet varieties with other types of corn within a range of about 100 m – foreign pollen reduces their sweetness.
Care: water regularly during flowering and kernel filling, mound soil around the base of the stem for better stability, and apply nitrogen fertilizer when the plants are 30–40 cm tall. Harvest when the silks at the tip of the cob turn brown and the kernels release milky juice when pressed with a fingernail.
Uses
Ramondia is corn to eat straight from the cob – boiled whole, grilled with herb butter, or roasted in its husks. The kernels are excellent in salads, salsas and soups, while any excess is best frozen immediately after harvest to preserve its sweetness. In the garden, corn is a classic support for climbing beans and a shelter for squash – a tried-and-tested Three Sisters arrangement.
Gardener’s tip
Do not remove the leaves from the cob to check ripeness – just open them at the tip and press a kernel. Milky juice means “harvest today,” watery juice means “give it a few more days,” while thick, pasty juice means “it has already gone too far.” Supersweet varieties are best during the first few days after reaching milk maturity.
Specifications
| Latin name | Zea mays convar. saccharata |
| Variety | Ramondia F1 |
| Kernel color | golden-yellow with white |
| Position | sunny, warm |
| Seasonality | annual plant |
| Direct sowing time | second ten days of May |
| Harvest time | August – September |
| Spacing | 40 × 40 cm |
| Net weight | 10 g (~70 seeds) |
| Series | Traditional |
| Producer | W. Legutko |
| EAN code | 5903837442355 |