If you decide that sweet corn is more your thing, don’t miss our roundup of the best varieties! You can always switch to popcorn next year.
This plant matures in about 100 days, so you’ll have plenty of time after planting to decide on the perfect movie to pair with your harvest.
Each ear yields approximately one serving of popcorn, with each plant producing one or two ears.
Ready to get started? Here are my favorite cultivars for growing at home:
1. Carousel
I personally have a real penchant for rainbow colored veggies.
From tomatoes to chard, I am absolutely addicted to all multicolored edible crops that you can grow in your garden, and this variety is a perfect addition to any colorful collection.
‘Carousel Ornamental‘ Seeds
Though this heirloom is often referred to as an ornamental cultivar, it is in fact edible.
Producing vividly multicolored mini ears four to five inches long, this sweet-tasting cultivar is ready in 100 to 110 days. Grow it in full sun, in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 11.
The cobs can then either be dried and displayed for ornamental use, or popped. This variety is perfect for snacking, as its tiny kernels pop up to be tender and crispy, with a very thin hull.
Dried kernels can also be ground into cornmeal.
You can find ‘Carousel’ seeds at True Leaf Market.
2. Glass Gem
The first time I saw and then planted this crop, I fell irrevocably in love with it.
‘Glass Gem‘ Seeds
Continuing the multicolored theme, this variety has to be the undisputed king of rainbow crops, producing beautiful kernels that come in a range of translucent, multi-colored shades of blue, yellow, red, and everything in between.
‘Glass Gem’ is really something that has to be seen to be believed, so it’s hard to do it justice here.
This particular variety was selected by Oklahoma farmer Carl Barnes, who began growing heirloom Native American varieties as a way to reconnect with his heritage.
The ears and stalks can be dried for ornamental use, and I’d suggest growing this visually arresting crop would be a great way to get the kids interested in gardening.
The kernels are perfect for popping or for grinding into cornmeal.
‘Glass Gem’ takes 80 days to reach maturity, and you can grow it in Zones 3 to 11. It thrives in warm, full sun conditions.
You can find seeds at Burpee.
3. Robust Yellow Hulles
Thanks to thin hulls, which make for easy popping, this Native American corn is known for its tasty, exploding kernels, perfectly adapted for making delicious popcorn.
‘Robust Yellow Hulles‘ Seeds
When grown in full sun, this is a highly productive variety that produces long ears of corn on tall stalks. Expect about 110 days to maturity.
You can find seeds at True Leaf Market.
4. Shaman’s Blue
A winner in both the looks and taste categories, this unique blue hybrid is a perfect popper, producing large, white, sweet popcorn.
Heirloom ‘Shaman’s Blue‘ Seeds
And it gets better. This variety is highly nutritious, thanks to the fact that its dark blue kernels contain more antioxidants (namely anthocyanin and cyanidin) than your regular yellow varieties.
This variety originated in the Andes Mountains of Peru where it was traditionally ground into flour.
Now it is grown widely in Mexico and the Southwestern US, where it has become enormously popular thanks to its disease resistance and top-notch flour quality.
This variety will grow happily in Zones 3 to 12, and grows best in full sun.
You can find ‘Shaman’s Blue’ seeds available from Everwilde Farms via Amazon.
5. Snow Puff
This F1 hybrid produces high yields of delicious, sweet, white corn, which expands to an enormous size when popped – perfect for movie nights. The kernels have exceptionally thin hulls.
‘Snow Puff‘ Hybrid F1 Seeds
This is variety grows eight-inch ears on seven-foot-tall stalks, and it requires full sun to thrive.
You can find packets of 25 seeds available via Walmart.
6. Strawberry
This heirloom variety is described by Burpee as a “pop star,” and I have to say I can’t disagree there (and thoroughly approve of their pun).
‘Strawberry‘ Popcorn Seeds
Producing several miniature ears between two and three inches long and filled with ruby red kernels, this beautiful, decorative variety looks just like large red strawberries.
This variety is ready to harvest in about 100 days.
Seeds are available from Burpee.
7. Tap Dancer
A striking option, ‘Tap Dancer‘ is an heirloom variety that produces white, purple, and yellow kernels on six-and-a-half-inch ears.
‘Tap Dancer‘
Vigorous plants grow up to nine feet tall, and ears are ready to harvest in 115 days.
You can find packets of seeds in a variety of sizes available at High Mowing Seeds.
Time to Get Popping!
With such beautiful varieties to choose from, I think it’s safe to conclude that growing your own popcorn is sure to leave you grinning from ear to ear!
Have you had a go at growing this tasty snack? Let me know how you got on in the comments section below!
And for more information on growing corn, check out some of our other guides: