VegetableCorn
Truckers Favorite White Corn
Truckers Favorite White Corn is an heirloom dent corn variety introduced by T.W. Wood & Sons Seed Co., prized for its versatility at the milk stage and beyond. This open-pollinated, non-GMO cultivar grows 6 to 7 feet tall and matures in 70 to 79 days, thriving across hardiness zones 2 through 13. Whether you're roasting ears fresh from the garden, frying them, or letting them fully mature as dent corn for grinding and storage, this variety delivers on multiple fronts, making it a genuine workhorse for home and market gardeners alike.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Organic Matter
Growth Stats
84 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
10
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
2-13
Size
84in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
Truckers Favorite White offers remarkable flexibility at harvest. You can pick the ears at the milk stage when kernels are tender and sweet for fresh eating, or wait for full maturity when the kernels dent at the crown, revealing their storage potential and milling possibilities. The combination of heat and drought tolerance with genuine heirloom genetics gives you a corn that's both reliable in tough conditions and deeply rooted in American agricultural history. Growing to a sturdy 6 to 7 feet on upright stems, it thrives in standard garden plots or raised beds without fussiness.
Common Uses
Truckers Favorite White shines in multiple culinary moments. At the milk stage, when kernels are plump and tender, the ears are exceptional for roasting whole or shucked and fried, delivering genuine corn flavor. As the kernels mature and develop their characteristic dent, you can harvest them for drying, grinding into cornmeal, or storing for winter cooking. This dual-purpose character reflects its history as a market variety, where appearance and versatility determined a farmer's profitability.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost date. Sow seeds 1 inch deep in containers with warm, well-draining seed starting mix. Maintain soil temperature around 70 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable germination. Transplant seedlings outdoors only after hardening off and all danger of frost has passed.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant hardened seedlings outdoors after your last frost date when soil temperature reaches at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Space plants 10 inches apart with 36 inches between rows. Handle seedlings gently to avoid damaging the roots.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds outdoors after the last frost date and when soil temperature reaches 60 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. Plant seeds 1 inch deep, spacing them 10 inches apart in rows 36 inches wide. Corn germinates quickly in warm soil and is ready to transplant or thin within 7 to 10 days.
Harvesting
For fresh eating, harvest ears at the milk stage when the kernels are plump and release a milky liquid when pierced with a fingernail. Ears are ready 15 to 20 days after silking begins. Snap or twist ears downward and away from the stalk. For dent corn, wait until the kernels show a pronounced indentation at the crown and the husks have dried and turned papery. The silk will be dry and brown. Allow ears to cure on the stalk if weather permits, or harvest and hang in a dry, well-ventilated space for several weeks until kernels are rock-hard.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Zea mays
Family
Poaceae
Genus
Zea
Growth Habit
Upright
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)VI (I)CAN (I)
History & Origin
“Truckers Favorite White traces its lineage to T.W. Wood & Sons Seed Co., a Virginia-based seedhouse that introduced this white dent corn variety to American gardeners. The name itself tells part of the story: this corn was bred to appeal to market farmers and truckers who needed a reliable variety that could withstand the rigors of harvest and transport while remaining attractive to buyers. As an open-pollinated heirloom, it carries within it decades of selection for performance, appearance, and culinary utility. The fact that it remains available and grown today speaks to the practical value early seed companies identified in this corn and the gardeners who've kept it alive through seed saving.”