VegetableCorn
Lancaster Sure Crop Corn
Lancaster Sure Crop Corn is a treasured open-pollinated dent corn developed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania by Mennonite farmer Issac Hershey, who spent decades perfecting it for early maturity, disease resistance, and reliable yields. This heirloom variety reaches 72 to 84 inches tall and matures in 110 to 119 days, thriving across hardiness zones 2 through 13. It's a frost-tender annual that demands full sun and moderate water, rewarding growers with the kind of stable, productive corn that built farming traditions in the American heartland.
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
Issac Hershey didn't rush his creation. Starting around 1910, he stopped blending random superior corns and instead committed himself to selecting specifically for early maturity, disease resistance, yield, large ears, and genetic stability. The result was a variety so dependable it earned the word 'Sure' in its name. Lancaster Sure Crop represents the patient work of one man's vision transformed into a seed that gardeners still trust more than a century later.
Common Uses
As a dent corn, Lancaster Sure Crop is primarily grown for grain and dry storage rather than fresh eating off the cob. The kernels are well-suited to grinding for cornmeal, corn flour, and animal feed, uses central to both homestead and farm traditions in the American Midwest and beyond.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Direct sow Lancaster Sure Crop seeds into warm soil after the last frost date has passed, when soil temperature consistently reaches 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant seeds 10 inches apart in rows spaced 36 inches apart for optimal air circulation and ease of harvesting.
Harvesting
Harvest Lancaster Sure Crop when the kernels are fully mature and the cob has dried to a tan or brown color, typically 110 to 119 days after planting. For grain, allow ears to dry completely on the stalk before picking, or pull ears and finish drying indoors in a well-ventilated space. The corn is ready to shell or grind once the kernels are hard and resistant to fingernail pressure.
Growing Calendar
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
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
“Lancaster Sure Crop was born from the careful, deliberate selection work of Issac Hershey, a Mennonite elder farming in Lancaster, Pennsylvania during the early 1900s. Rather than simply mixing superior corn varieties together, Hershey adopted a rigorous breeding approach, selecting generation after generation for the traits that mattered most to his region and climate: early maturity so crops would mature before frost, strong disease resistance, high yield, large ears, and above all, genetic stability. By 1910, his effort crystallized into Lancaster Sure Crop, a variety that reflected not just agricultural skill but the values of a farming community that needed corn varieties they could depend on year after year. The 'Sure Crop' name itself speaks to Hershey's promise: this corn would deliver, reliably, across variable conditions.”