[Success/EarthBox] Mini Pink Popcorn x16 (May 23, 2020)

[ERR0R1755]

I harvested an ear early to see how they were doing. Not as pink as I had expected by now, but given that this variety is supposed to dry completely, I'm not surprised.

Will you boil, steam or grill?

I envy you not having critters. If I planted corn, the family of raccoons would spread the word!!!

I like the coloring. SO many different varieties!

[ERR0R1755]

I envy you not having critters. If I planted corn, the family of raccoons would spread the word!!!

I like the coloring. SO many different varieties!

I think I'm going to let the ears dry out completely, and use some of it for popcorn, some of it for decoration, and some of it for regrowing in the future.

I just hope the EarthBox had enough fertilizer for corn...

We have raccoons and squirrels all around here, but we've been trapping them because they've been going after our chickens as well.

[Sher]

I love the coloring, too.

I wouldn't dare plant them here until I get a deer-proof cage for the garden built. Every deer that overpopulates our woods would eat it to the ground.

I used to have chickens. Auracaunas and Rhode Island Reds. I miss them.

This is my last year for toms in the EB''s. I just this minute purchased 2 more EB stands and will be doing green beans exclusively in those EB's off the ground..and flowers in the others on the ground..geraniums and dahlias. For some reason the beans never get touched.I am burnt out by these critters and this year was extreme. All my summer  tom growing will be AG from now on rather than wasting money on critters.

Popcorn sounds great. I buy the Orville Ridenbacher(spelling) popping corn and put it in a paper sandwich bag and pop it in the microwave without all that oil. I spray it with butter flavored Pam and then season with sea salt,and other spices whih can get quite creative!Just an idea for your harvest.

[ERR0R1755]

Ended this today. The plants weren't done growing, but between the rain and the heat waves, the corn ended up getting attacked by a black and dark green fungus. Most of the ears were starting to rot, but I saved what I could.

Here were the ears that looked like they could be ready:


Here were the actual results:


(that yellow one I kept as an experiment to see if I need get the dried kernels to grow)

[ERR0R1755]

I also picked up a tip from MIgardener and saved the stalks. He used sunflower stalks for fencing and trellising after drying them out, so I'm going to try doing the same with these corn stalks.

[ERR0R1755]

Here's my self-survey:
Plant Grown: Mini Pink Popcorn
Grow Method: EarthBox Original
Time to Germinate: 7 days
Time to First Harvest: 93 days after germination
Time to Last Harvest: 93 days after germination
Plant Spacing: 16 per EarthBox (100% usage)
Final Height: ~7 feet
Would I grow these again? TBD, need to dry out the ears and see how well the popcorn turns out
Lessons Learned: The EarthBox worked better than I expected and I'll definitely be reusing it in future years!

[Sher]

Love your very informative analysis, Error

[ERR0R1755]

Just wanted to post an update: I dried the corn out and it made some excellent popcorn, but I am going to try direct sowing it this year (in ground, in the area I mulched for my raised/barrel garden) and see if I can get more to grow.

[Shawn]

Your own popcorn. You should be proud!

I hope you have wonderful success when planted in the ground.