This jaw - dropping crop is a commixture of several ancient varieties that were preserved through years of seed - save try .
It ’s not really summer until you bite into a tender , juicy spike ofcorn on the filbert , fresh from the farmer ’s market or a roadside stand . But while everyone ’s used to seeing chickenhearted and snowy kernels when you peel back the husk and the silk , rainbow edible corn is so beautiful it ’ll make your jaw drop . live as Glass Gem Indian corn , it ’s an absolute stunner with lustrous purple , pinkish , blue , red , and yellow kernels that look like milled drop . You ’re not probable to find farmers sell rainbow corn whisky on the side of the route in the summertime like sweet corn , but you could grow these gorgeous ear and even make Zea mays everta with the one - of - a - kind kernels .
Rainbow corn can have dozen of different colour and combinations , and you wo n’t know what they ’ll look like until youpeel back the husk . You could end up with genuinely multicolored ears or sum , primarily specter of blue , red , or even pale , bright pastel heart and soul . Every cob is a surprise .
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Where to Plant Rainbow Corn
plant life rainbow corn in a location that getslots of sun all Clarence Day , with rich , well - drain , acidic to neutral stain .
check that not to establish it in the same location where you grew corn for the two previous years . Also , keep in mind that it reaches a tower altitude and draw shade on shorter crops . Plant it next to crops that benefit from being shielded from the hot summer sunlight , such as lettuce .
How and When to Plant Rainbow Corn
Like dulcet corn whiskey , plant rainbow corn in the tardy springtime when there is no more risk of hoarfrost and the land has warmed up to at least 60 degree F. Corn does n’t transplant well , so it needs to be planted directly in the garden .
embed the seed at a depth of 1 to 2 inch . The light the grime , the inscrutable you should plant seeds . infinite seeds 6 to 12 column inch aside . For better pollination , rather than planting it in foresightful rows , imbed it in a block of short rows space 30 inch apart .
Buy It : Glass Gem Corn Seeds$4 , Native Seed
Rainbow Corn Care Tips
Rainbow corn is gentle to grow but it has a long growing time of year of 110 to 120 days to maturity .
Light
corn whiskey needs a cheery pip with at least six hour of unmediated sun daily .
Soil and Water
Corn does well in loose and loamy soil with apH between 6 and 7 . It does poorly in heavy land . Give it at least 1 column inch of water system per hebdomad in the absence of rain .
Temperature and Humidity
Corn needs warm conditions . It only germinates at temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees F. It has no issues with high or dispirited humidity as long as it ’s give sufficient weewee .
Fertilizer
clavus is a dense feeder . Even if you set Zea mays in rich garden soil with plenty of organic matter and compost , you must fertilize corn with ahigh - N fertilizer , following recording label instruction . The first dressing should be when the works is about 8 inches tall and has a effectual root system , and the second should be when the industrial plant set out producing tassels .
Pruning
edible corn does not ask any pruning .
Pollination
corn whiskey is wind - pollinated and institute it in block aids pollenation .
Different eccentric of corn can cross - pollinate , which is an issuing if you plan to save the seeds of your rainbow corn . To foreclose cross - pollination , industrial plant different salmagundi at least 25 feet asunder .
Pests and Problems
Rainbow corn , like all corn , is seek out by wildlife , including rodents , raccoon , and birds . Indian corn woodborer are acommon gadfly . Smut fungus , which plough the corn pith into bulb-shaped grey - blue - grey galls , is a serious disease ; if you discover it on your plant , remove and dispose of them in the trash forthwith to foreclose it from diffuse .
How to Propagate Rainbow Corn
Rainbow corn whiskey is anheirloom variety , and you may save the seeds if there ’s no hybridization - pollination . Or , you canbuy the semen online . leave behind the cobs in the industrial plant to dry as long as possible , but remove them in besotted weather so they do n’t regulate . disrobe off the out leafage and remove the silk . Let the ears zephyr dry in a coolheaded , dry location . Then , remove the sum from the cob and lay in them in a paper bag in a coolheaded , dry home to plant the following twelvemonth , as discover above .
Harvesting
Unlike sweet corn , rainbow Zea mays is harvested when the husks are papery - dry and chocolate-brown , about 110 to 120 day after establish . To remove the straw from the straw , squirm it downwardly in a pulling move . For dry out and hive away the kernels , keep abreast the directions under How to Propagate Rainbow Corn , above .
Guides to Growing Vegetables
Frequently Asked Questions
Carl Barnes , an Oklahoma Fannie Farmer , commence planting ancient potpourri of clavus as a fashion of connecting to his Cherokee heritage . A admixture of a few dissimilar varieties of corn eventually produced a brace of multicolored cobs , which he showcased at a native plant gathering in the mid-1990s . Greg Schoen , a cultivator , was particularly enthralled by the colors , and Barnes entrusted a few of his seeds to him . Schoen planted the seeds , crossing them with another variety of popcorn , which result in rainbow colors with a calendered , polished luster . Schoen eventually shared seminal fluid of this rainbow - color clavus with Bill McDorman , who was able to keep start the seeds and help make them more wide available for gardener through the nonprofitNative Seeds .
Rainbow corn is get primarily for its colorful kernels . Pretty as this corn is , do n’t expect to misrepresent and feed it like veritable sweet Indian corn , right off the cob . It ’s a type of flint Indian corn with a high amylum mental object and a hard extinct level , so you may only exhaust it by cranch it into cornmeal or down it into Zea mays everta ( which , sadly , is n’t rainbow - colored ) . But , whether you prefer to rust it or not , it ’s gorgeous enough to originate in your garden just for its beauty , and it also make a cracking fall decoration .
Updated by Nadia Hassani
