Glass gem corn is the most beautiful breed of corn you can grow. It's a type of "Indian Corn" bred by Native Americans. The colors are truly amazing and they do look a bit like gemstones. It's mostly grown for ornamental purposes, but it is edible. The best part about this corn is that it is a type of popcorn. Making a small batch of popcorn is very easy. Take a ear or two of the dried corn and throw it in a paper bag in the microwave. The kernals are a bit smaller than traditional popcorn when you pop them. Like most things you grow at home the flavor is far superior to store bought popcorn. It has a very sweet taste to it and I prefer it without any butter or salt added. Corn is a relatively easy crop to grow even for a novice gardener. It likes fertile soil and some extra nitrogen fertilizer. Fish emulsion is a good organic source of nitrogen that I recommend. Worm castings "poo" is another exellent organic fertilizer that is packed with micro organisms and nutrients. I like to make an "actively aerated worm casting tea." I'll dedicate a blog on the process of making the tea next time I make a batch. You can also add the casting to the soil at planting time or use it as a top dressing. If you have never used it I highly suggest you give it a try. It's pretty expensive to buy the castings, so I have my own worm farm, that produces all I need. One thing that is important about growing this corn is timing it right. It takes 105 days to grow from seed to maturity. If you decide to grow other types of corn, make sure you plant the different varieties far enough away from each other, so they don't cross pollinate. For people like myself without much room, just make sure the breeds don't mature at the same time. I like to plant sweet corn about a month before my indian corns so they don't get cross pollinated. One year I had my sweet corn ruined by a crop of Indian Corn. It turned out very starchy and spotted with colors. They sure are worth the space and effort though. Even if you don't eat it they are good for decoration and display. Baker creek heirloom seeds is a good source for these seeds. They have some very interesting seed that you can't find anywhere else. https://www.rareseeds.com/glass-gem-corn-/ I like their "Rocky top" lettuce mix too. I hope everyone is having a pleasant day. Excuse my lack of post the last couple days, been fighting a stomach flu. Glad to be feeling almost human again lol. Anyways if you made it this far please upvote, follow, and resteem. I appreciate any and all of those things. https://www.mannabase.com/?ref=4683023c73
