Alberta Clipper Corn

Very early maturing dry field corn from Alberta Canada developed exclusively at Oikos Tree Crops. 

Can be used for meal or eaten fresh if roasted. The six inch ears are small but always free of corn ear worm due to its long husk. Plants are semi dwarf growing 3-4 ft. tall on average with one ear per plant. Given to me by a researcher from Canada who was working with short season crops for the most northern areas of North America. It took about 3 years of growing out to get a uniform crop with larger ears with uniform filling all the way to the end of the ear.

The earliness varies from 60-70 days.  In 2017 I planted on July 1st and it still ripened in time. The ears were smaller than normal that year so that might be its limits in terms of yield and development of the kernels but it can easily be done and still useful for an additional crop or green manure side effect of a small harvest. 

The yields of Alberta Clipper are a third or half of today's normal hybrid field corn. The advantage of this corn is a that it can be planted late after spring crops are harvested. Alberta Clipper can be used to feed animals or corn meal for the home gardener.  Rather than letting a field go fallow, this corn could be used along with a nitrogen fixing crop for an additional yield. The 60 day ripening means the husks are brown and starting to hang down from the stalk.  

This is one of several early field corns for use in areas thought to have little or any cultivation of corn in the early Americas. It is likely a composite strain selected just for earliness. Think of it as an adjunct crop growing in conditions where there is little wiggle room for ripening. The dwarf plants are strong. They have good resistance to rust and ripen earlier than the southwestern varieties of early corns. 

Alberta Clipper makes a good corn for meal and can be dried and stored easily in short season areas.  The flavor is very good and can be roasted too. 

To germinate the seeds: Seeds germinate in cool soil. Plant 1/2 inch deep. Spacing can be denser than most corn. Plants grow from 3-4 ft. tall. 30 inch rows 6 inches between plants is ideal.