If you have ever made the journey to our retail store in Lancaster, PA you may have noticed our impressive shelf dedicated to all corn types. For less seasoned planters, the corn aisle at Rohrer Seeds may seem especially intimidating due to the large amount of options. If you have observed that there seems to be multiple types of corn available then you are correct! This article will differentiate between the types of corn available today. 

Above is the Rohrer corn shelf ready for 2025. 

Dent Corn

Dent corn, also called field corn, is the most commonly grown type of corn in the United States. It is used in many products, most notably being: livestock feed, cornmeal flour, high fructose corn syrup and other items. Despite this, field corn is NOT eaten fresh off the cob. 

It is called dent corn due to the dimples on the kernels. Dent corn lacks sweetness and is very starchy in nature which is why it is processed before eating. It also has a somewhat hard texture unlike sweet corn.

Rohrer's carries ornamental dent corn that can be dried out for long lasting fall decorations, check out the Bloody Butcher corn and Earth Tones corn. Many people also enjoy using dent corn to make old fashioned corn cob pipes from. 

Flint Corn

Flint corn is similar to dent corn in the sense that due to its harder texture it is not typically eaten fresh off the cob. Rather, flint corn is grown for its interesting colors that can be dried out and made into decorations just like our ornamental dent corn is. One of our best selling ornamental flint corns is the Fiesta variety.

Popcorn is also a type of flint corn. We have a large selection of popcorn varieties available if you are a fan of the salty and buttery snack! You can't go wrong with the Pennsylvania Butter Flavored Popcorn seeds. To make popcorn from your corn you must harvest the corn when the husk has dried out and then cure the corn by letting it air dry uncovered before collecting the kernels. 

Sweet Corn

Lastly, there is sweet corn. Sweet corn is what is most commonly eaten fresh off the cob or canned. It has a wonderful sweet taste that goes excellent as a side or addition to a wide variety of meals. A high quality sweet corn will have a slightly firm texture that comes off the cob easily and has a small crunch to it when eaten. 

Sweet corn is a Lancaster county specialty and a sign that summer has arrived. You can find a large number of varieties of sweet corn in our retail store. Although they're all good, Honey Select is our favorite. As a general rule of thumb, sweet corn comes in yellow, white or bi-color varieties. Although many say that yellow sweet corn is sweeter than white sweet corn that is not necessarily true. If you're looking for a classic variety, try Silver Queen!

Conclusion

There are many different types of corn each with their own place in your kitchen. If you plan on growing corn this season, and you definitely should, remember that corn is a nutrient hungry crop so fertilizing it properly makes a big difference. We recommend using the Hyr Brix Sweet Corn fertilizer on your corn due its high nutrient content.