How to Store Corn Seeds

Germinate new corn plants from dried kernels.

Before you harvest, save and store corn seeds, find out more about the donor plant. Avoid collecting crop seeds from corn plants that grew from hybrid seeds. The second generation of those seeds doesn't grow true to type. You might even end up with plants that can't produce corn ears. Instead, look for heirloom, open-pollinated corn or corn that grew from seed with "F2" on the package label. Plan to harvest corn seeds around six weeks after the ear ripens.

Things You'll Need

• Ripe corn ear
• Bowl
• Paper envelope
• Pen

Instructions

1. Pull back the husks of a ripe corn ear. Set the corn in a dry, cool and well-ventilated place to dry completely. How long that takes depends on your climate. In the dry deserts of the southwestern United States, kernels dry faster than in humid Florida. The seeds are ready for harvest when they turn brittle and fall off the cob easily.

2. Place a bowl on a counter or table to collect your seeds. Hold the dried corn ear with both hands and twist it back and forth, rubbing it against your fingers and palms above the bowl. Keep twisting until the number of kernels you want have fallen in the bowl.

3. Handpick the seeds to separate them from corn silk that might also have gotten in the bowl.

4. Place the seeds in a paper envelope and store them in a cool, dry and rodent-free storage space. Date the envelope and use the seeds within two years.

References

• Colorado State University Extension: Saving Seed
• International Seed Saving Institute: Experienced
• Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service: Growing Sweet Corn