Some of our friends and even a few relatives have had their family/kids/teenagers put up some resistance to gardening. The concept of growing their own popcorn may be just exciting enough to get them started.
Most of us have only seen popcorn in a bag or jar at the grocery store. Even gardeners who grow sweet corn may have never thought about trying to grow one of America's favorite snacking foods: popcorn. Aside from the traditional yellow color, popcorn kernels can come in blue, white and red, as well. But before you pick a variety of popcorn to plant, find out your area's growing season matches that of the popcorn variety as it takes longer to mature than sweet corn. Popcorn has more starch in it than sweet corn and although their growing needs are the same, it's the harvesting that makes the difference.
Most of us have only seen popcorn in a bag or jar at the grocery store. Even gardeners who grow sweet corn may have never thought about trying to grow one of America's favorite snacking foods: popcorn. Aside from the traditional yellow color, popcorn kernels can come in blue, white and red, as well. But before you pick a variety of popcorn to plant, find out your area's growing season matches that of the popcorn variety as it takes longer to mature than sweet corn. Popcorn has more starch in it than sweet corn and although their growing needs are the same, it's the harvesting that makes the difference.
- Add compost or composted manure to the garden bed where the popcorn will be planted. Corn is a warm-weather, needy crop that requires plenty of water combined with rich soil. Another good idea is to add a fertilizer that's high in nitrogen to apply right after you have planted the seeds.
- Plant popcorn seeds directly into the garden bed 1 ½ to 2 inches deep and about a foot in between each other. The corn rows should be about 8 inches apart. If the corn is planted any closer together, you will harvest fewer ears as they won't be as filled out as corn that has plenty of room to grow. You can also start your bed from seedlings. However, keep in mind that popcorn seedlings will be harder to locate at a local nursery.
- The silks of the corn are the female flowers and the tassels are the male flowers. Corn depends upon the wind for pollination, therefore it should be planted in blocks of at least 4 by 4 feet.
- Generously water your corn bed from planting day all the way until harvest time. If during the growing season, the lower leaves start to become yellow, give them another shot of nitrogen. Add soil amendments whenever you can as corn is a very heavy feeder.
- If you live in a windy area, the corn may need to have a wind break placed around them or stakes to help hold the corn upright as they have notoriously shallow roots systems.
- When the husks have dried and the kernels are plump, shiny, and full of color, harvest the ears off of the stalks. Take the husks off of the corn and lay the corn out in a well-ventilated and cool area. Leave them there for a month or more.
- Popcorn kernels pop because of the moisture content and this is controlled by the curing process.
- Take off some of the kernels and test-pop them. If you are happy with how they popped, remove all of the corn kernels from the cobs and store them in glass or ceramic containers. If the popping action is weak, there's still too much moisture in the kernels. Test pop again every couple of days because the kernels can actually become too dry.
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