Popcorn kernels.
Popcorn (Zea mays var. praecox) is closely related to sweet corn and grown with similar requirements.
There are two general popcorn types: pearl and rice. Pearl popcorn plants develop smooth and rounded kernels. Rice popcorn kernels are more elongated. There are many different cultivars of popcorn grown in fields and vegetable gardens, some with white, yellow, red, or pink kernels. Choose a variety that matures within the contraints of your region's frost-free growing season, as the ears of corn must fully mature on the plant before frosts occur, otherwise their popping ability in the oven may be disappointing. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Prepare a garden site that has fertile, well-drained soil and provides a sun exposure of a minimum of ten hours daily. Cultivate the soil to remove any germinating weeds as well as to loosen and improve its texture to a depth of three to four inches.
2. Wait until all danger of frost has passed in spring and the soil has warmed significantly, at least over 60 degrees F. Popcorn seeds are slower to germinate than sweet corn seeds, according to Purdue University, and the seedlings tend to grow more slowly, too, even if growing conditions are perfect.
3. Survey the planting area and pick out any large particles of bark, pebbles, or fragments of dead weed stems. Ensuring the soil particles are debris-free increases their contact with popcorn seed, potentially increasing germination.
4. Create a shallow furrow with a hoe to make a planting row in the garden. It needs to be between one and two inches in depth.
5. Place popcorn seeds in the planting furrow row, spacing them three to six inches apart. You can also cluster two or three seeds every six inches and thin them out to one plant once they germinate.
6. Backfill soil over the popcorn seeds so that they are no deeper than two inches below the surface. Tamp the soil down with the back of the hoe blade or your hand to push soil particles in contact with each seed kernel.
7. Water the planting row with a sprinkling can so the soil is moistened to a depth of at least three inches. Keep the soil moist (but never wet) over the next two to three weeks to promote seed germination. According to The Popcorn Board, popcorn seeds germinate in roughly seven days in optimum conditions, and it can take an additional three days for leaves to emerge through the soil surface.
Tags: contact with, popcorn seeds, soil particles, sweet corn, three inches