Type
yellow heirloom sweet corn
Sweet Corn variety
Golden Bantam Sweet Corn
A historic heirloom with smaller ears and old-fashioned sweet corn flavor. Plants are hardy and well suited to traditional garden plantings.
Days to maturity
80 to 85
Best for
heirloom growing, fresh eating
About Golden Bantam
Golden Bantam is a beloved open-pollinated heirloom yellow corn, introduced by W. Atlee Burpee in 1902, that helped popularize yellow sweet corn in America. It is a normal sugary (su) type with old-fashioned, rich corn flavor, borne on short plants that typically reach about 5 feet with modest 6 to 7 inch ears.
Growing Golden Bantam Sweet Corn
As an su heirloom its sugars convert to starch quickly, so pick at the milk stage and eat or preserve within a day for the best sweetness. The shorter stalks suit smaller gardens but can lodge in wind, so plant in blocks and consider hilling soil around the base for support.
Full growing guide
For planting dates, care, and harvest that apply to all sweet corn, see the complete guide.
How to grow Sweet CornOther sweet corn varieties
Variety characteristics are general guidance for US home gardens; performance varies by climate, soil, and season. Seed and plant availability differs by supplier. Page updated Aug 4, 2026.