Corn, Popcorn 'Plomyk'

Corn 'Plomyk' is a variety that is grown for its dried seeds that are later used to make delicious, home-made popcorn.
A semi-early variety, Popcorn 'Plomyk' is a very productive plant, producing two ears of corn per plant that are 15 to 18cm (6 to 7in) in length, well finished, deep golden yellow, shiny grains. The name 'Plomyk', meaning 'Candle Flame' describes the shape of this type of corn cob

Usually sown in May to June, when the soil has warmed, the seeds take around 10 to 14 days to germinate at temperatures of 10 to 20°C. After about six weeks the seedlings can be planted out into their final location Plant 45cm apart, in a position with full sun, preferably with some shelter from wind.

Harvest in August to September, let the cobs get completely yellow and dry on the outside before harvesting, the kernels should feel completely hard. Hang the cobs to dry in a warm and moist room for a couple of weeks till there's about 14% humidity in the kernels. After husking the seeds out of the cob they can be dried further if needed in a dry, aerated, warm place and stored in an airtight jar ready for use. There has to be enough humidity in the kernels to let them pop. Test a few kernels to see if it's possible to pop them. If they are too dry, you can also water the kernels with a bit water and shake them.

A great idea to eat home-made popcorn at a party or movie night - You can also make your own caramel with a little sea salt and then pour it thinly over the popcorn... or make it easy on yourself and sprinkle a little sugar over the still warm popcorn... success guaranteed!

Position:
Corn is shallow rooted: protection from winds and water loss in the soil is very important. They grow tall: 75 to 170cm (30 to 65in). so take care not to shade other vegetables. Each plant has an average spread of 45cm (18in).
Each plant carries both male and female flowering parts - the cob being the female part and the tassels at the top of the plant being the male parts.
Corn is wind pollinated and best planted in large blocks, where the male flowers at the top of the plant have more opportunity to shed their pollen on the female tassels (where the cobs will form) below. Each plant will produce one or two cobs, so work out how many cobs you are likely to need (you can freeze them) and provide enough space to achieve this.

Prepare the site:
Corn likes free-draining, moisture retentive soil. First remove weeds and dig over the site with a spade, removing any particularly large stones. Level roughly and then work over the area with a rake to leave a fine finish.
To ensure your crop gets off to a flying start, spread some general fertiliser granules over the planting area and gently rake in to the surface. If you can, try to do this two or three weeks before planting or sowing. Corn is a heavy feeder, requiring rich soil. Nitrogen is especially important, since corn is basically a grass. An inch or two of compost or rotted manure will also work, as will feeding with fish emulsion

Timing:
Seed does not germinate below 10°C (50°F) Start off indoors in spring or sow directly outside from May.
It must have a long warm season to perform well. This means around 70 to 110 frost free days after planting at around 16 to 35°C (61°F to 95°F). Germinates in 10 to 14 days.

Sowing Indoors: Sow indoors in Spring
Start the plants off indoors in cells or pots filled with moist compost. The compost should be moist, but definitely not wet. Wet compost will be cold and reduces the oxygen that the seeds need to germinate. It may even stop the seeds germinating at all. Sow two seeds to each pot. Thin to leave the strongest seedling when they are 2cm (1in) tall.
Plants can go into the soil from May. Using a trowel, set sweet corn plants 25 to 30cm (10 to 12in) with 60cm (24in) between rows to form a block.
Corn should be grown in blocks to ensure even pollination. There are no rules about how large the block has to be, this will be determined by how many plants you decide to grow.

Sowing Direct: Sow outdoors once the soil has warmed, from May
You can grow corn by planting seeds directly into the soil in late spring and early summer, but only once the soil is over 15°C (59°F). Use a dibber to make 2.5cm (1in) holes and sow two or three seeds every 25 to 30cm (10 to 12in) with 60cm (24in) between rows. Cover and water. Thin to leave the strongest seedling when they are 2cm (1in) tall.
In cooler climates it is worth protecting the emerging seedlings with fleece.

Cultivation:
Hoe shallowly when weeding to avoid root disturbance and in exposed areas earth up the stems to 13cm (5in) to increase stability.
Although Corn can tolerate high temperatures and drought, this can lead to poor pollination (empty cobs!)
Water regularly, especially if you notice the leaves curling and when the cobs begin to swell. Apply nitrogen fertiliser once the plants are about 20cm (8in) tall and again when they start producing tassels.

Harvesting:
Corn usually matures in August to September, around 85 days from emergence. Each sweetcorn plant should produce one or two cobs. Let the cobs get completely yellow and dry on the outside before harvesting, the kernels should feel completely hard.
Hang the cobs to dry in a warm and moist room for a couple of weeks till there's about 14% humidity in the kernels. After husking the seeds out of the cob they can be dried further if needed in a dry, aerated, warm place and stored in an airtight jar ready for use.
There has to be enough humidity in the kernels to let them pop. Test a few kernels to see if it's possible to pop them. If they are too dry, you can sprinkle water over the kernels, shake them and test again.

Preparing Popcorn:
Popcorn will pop when freshly harvested, but not well; its high moisture content leads to poor expansion and chewy pieces of popcorn. Kernels with a high moisture content are also susceptible to mold when stored. For these reasons, popcorn growers and distributors dry the kernels until they reach the moisture level at which they expand the most. This differs by variety and conditions, but is generally in the range of 14 to 15% moisture by weight. If the kernels are over-dried, the expansion rate will suffer and the percentage of kernels that pop will decline. Old popcorn tends to dry out, lowering the yield.
When the popcorn has finished popping, sometimes unpopped kernels remain. These kernels usually fail to pop because they do not have enough moisture to create enough steam for an explosion. Re-hydrating with a sprinkling of water prior to popping usually results in eliminating the unpopped kernels

Nomenclature:
The names corn and maize refer to the same crop. Corn originates from British English, where the word corn generally refers to the main crop grown in a locality. In England, wheat was called corn, and in Scotland and Ireland, oats were called corn.
The word Maize comes to us directly from the Taíno, the Native Americans who introduced the crop to Columbus. The Taíno referred to corn as mahiz, which the Spanish adopted as maíz before being Anglicised to maize.
Corn is a member of the grass family, Poaceae, which includes species such as cereal (e.g. wheat, rye, oats, barley), bamboo, and common and many grasses including lawn grass.
There are thousands of varieties available today, making it the top commercial grain crop grown globally.

Types of Corn:
Corn varieties are typically categorised into seven types based on the hardness of their endosperm (tissue surrounding the seeds).
Below are the seven types and their common uses:

Flour corn (Z. mays amylacea) is ground into fine corn flour.
Flint corn (Z. mays indurata) is often used to make coarse cornmeal.
Dent corn (aka field corn; Z. mays indentata), the most commonly grown in the U.S., is used in animal feeds and industry.
Pop corn (Z. mays everta) is, as expected, used to make popcorn.
Waxy corn (Z. mays ceratina) is a glutinous type of corn that is mostly grown in East Asia as a substitute for starch.
Pod corn (Z. mays tunicata) is the most primitive form of corn similar to the wild maize grown for thousands of years in the Americas. It is mostly grown ornamentally.
Sweet corn (Z. mays saccharata) is primarily eaten on the cob or canned and frozen.

Sweet corn is further divided into three categories based on genetics and sugar levels (lowest to highest): normal sugary (Su), Sugary Enhances (Se), and Supersweet (Sh2).
When planting sweet corn, separate them from field corn to avoid accidental cross-pollination, which results in unsweetened kernels.