Ornamental Corn Strawberry Popcorn
Zea - mays

The diminutive strawberry-shaped ruby red ears on these compact 4' stalks are an eye-catching unique addition to the back of the flower border or vegetable garden. Planting them behind flowers is a creative way to add height and architectural structure to the back of your flower border. Then, you can save the ears for fall decor or harvest the kernels for a delicious popcorn. Each Strawberry Corn stalk grows 2 or more 2-3' long ruby red strawberry-shaped ears., maturing in 100-105 days. Kids love to watch the ruby red kernels magically turn white when popped! (Instructions for making stovetop popcorn inside packet.)

When to plant outside: Recommended. Spring, a week or two after the average last spring frost date and when soil is warm (60-65 degrees). SOIL MUST BE WARM FOR GERMINATION TO OCCUR.

When to start inside: Corn seed does not transplant well. Outdoor sowing is recommended.

Special Sowing and Germination Instructions: Corn is easy to grow from seed. For best results, provide optimal germination conditions in your garden including planting depth and warm soil Since pollination occurs from wind, seed should be planted in blocks. Sow 6" apart and thin to 1' apart. This heirloom, open-pollinated, flint corn variety should be separated from sweet corn by 250 feet to prevent cross-pollination. Staggering plantings with a 10-15 plus day maturity difference will allow closer plantings where cross-pollination is a concern.