I wanted to know if popcorn kernels would turn into tiny plants and become corn, so I tried it. And it worked. It got me thinking about all the other ways you can grow corn, even if you live in a busy, urban environment and have a very small balcony like I do. So I spent 3 years growing corn in different ways, learning the ins and outs, so you can grow corn successfully - and in unique ways - at home, too.
Growing corn is such a fantastic way to teach kids about plant life cycles, pollination, and where our food comes from. And to know that even if you live in a busy, urban environment and have a very small space like a balcony, you can still grow and harvest your own corn on your tiny little balcony. Just like I did.
Some unique facts that you’ll learn in this video:
1. Popcorn kernels from your seasoned, buttery bag will not grow. You’ll need to grow popcorn kernels from the store, unseasoned.
2. Corn plants can grow surprisingly tall, sometimes reaching heights of 7 to 10 feet or even more.
3. Even though corn is usually yellow, it also comes in a variety of other colours, like red, blue, and even multicoloured.
4. In order for your corn to grow successfully in a small space, you’ll want to plant your corn kernels at least 4 inches apart from each other. Otherwise, they will suffocate each other and your corn will grow pretty miniature.
5. Corn can be a great team player in your garden. It can provide support for climbing beans, and squash plants can help shade the soil around corn roots, creating a natural and beneficial partnership. So they are great companion plants to grow with your other plants!
6. The number of hairs the corn has is the number of kernels that will grow in the corn. Each piece of silk is like a tube that goes down to one kernel inside the ear.
7. In order for the corn to actually grow, the tassel at the top of the corn plant, which is actually the male part of the plant, has to be shaken by hand many times a week, so that the pollen from the male tassels gets transferred onto the female silks, or hair, and the corn grows successfully. They basically have corn children together, with the help of the tassels and the silks.
8. The male and female parts of the plant are used for different things, like as mulch to cover up soil, as animal bedding to provide a comfortable surface for livestock, as a great addition to your compost pile, as material to create woven mats or baskets, as a food source to make cornmeal, corn flour, corn oil and tamales, and even in herbal remedies for its great medicinal effects.
9. Some types of corn, like sweet corn, are delicious when picked fresh from the garden and eaten right away. The sugars start converting into starch quickly after harvest, so homegrown sweet corn can taste incredibly sweet and tender.
10. I actually did auction off a storage unit for $35 and used 14,000 pounds of wood to build my garden box. Sam built it for me ;). I really wanted to grow the most epic apartment garden this summer, so if you want to watch the videos of the storage unit and garden box journey, follow the links here:
TIMESTAMP:
00:00 - 03:20 Popcorn Kernels
03:20 - 05:07 Corn #1 (2021)
05:07 - 07:32 Corn #2 Packaged Seeds (2022)
07:32 - 08:21 Building A Corn Garden Box
08:21 - 13:02 Corn #3 Garden Box Corn (2023)
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