I still remember the daylight I pare back the crisp , brown husks from my very first “ Glass Gem ” corn harvest home . Sure , the cum I ’d planted many calendar month before were bright red , purple , orangish , blue and even dark-green . Nevertheless , I could n’t believe my eyes .
The obdurate corn I ’d negociate to farm included every shade of the rainbow .
I could ’ve ground the unfaltering core into flour , popped them like popcorn , or used the intact spike decoratively . Instead , I chose to hold open most of those first seeds , so that I could grow subsequent generations and share this special miscellanea with others .
Curious to see what kinds of colours you might end up with ? You do n’t need loads of space to acquire a small block of Glass Gem corn whiskey , and the end final result is pretty magic .
Sourcing Seed
You still have a small time to get your hands on Glass Gem seed . For a more genetically robust harvest , you might charge away for seeds from multiple sources within theSeed Savers Exchange . ( You canlearn how to get begin with the Seed Savers Exhange here . ) Retailers likeBakers Creek Heirloom Seedsalso have Glass Gem Indian corn .
Or you might desire to turn toNative Seeds / SEARCH , an Arizona - ground nonprofit seed preservation grouping . Native Seeds / SEARCHsells Glass Gem maize seedsderived from the original folks who worked together for many eld to arise out and preserve the seminal fluid of this unusual variety .
A Little History
Just who were the people behind the colourful Zea mays ? First and first of all was Carl White Eagle Barnes . Barnes was part Cherokee and very interested in growing out and reintroduce several heritage corn varieties .
After seeing some of Barnes ’ corn whiskey seed up close , Greg Schoen , an area botanist and horticulturist , was intrigued . Via a2015 SeedBroadcast “ Seed Stories ” interview , Schoen partake in much of the back story about Barnes and his work .
“ I was attending a aboriginal plant gathering in the southwesterly part of Oklahoma , ” Schoen recalls . “ There was an elderly piece there with a duet of glass display face with all of these different native corn . There were probably two or three that were about 4 inches long — maybe not even that — with all of the colors .
“ Not just the earth tones and the reds and such , butallof the rainbow colors were in there in some way . ”
allot to Schoen , a lot of Barnes ’ color came from Pawnee miniature popcorns and , he suspects , an Osage River Flint River corn variety . Schoen continues , “ In the line of the oeuvre that [ Barnes ] did , he was finding a lot of corn varieties that had been lost to a lot of the clan … . As he started growing these out , he started to see other characteristic show up . ”
Eventually , Schoen , along with José Lucero of Santa Clara Pueblo and Bill McDorman , former executive manager of Native Seeds / SEARCH , would begin growing out generation of the rainbow - colored corn , too . After several years , they stabilize and generalize Glass Gem corn .
Getting Started
Glass Gem edible corn can take up to 120 days to reach maturity . Because outpouring where I inhabit have been extra rainy over the last few twelvemonth , I ’ve had to embark on my seeds inside and very carefully transfer them when the filth is finally dry enough to work out .
Ideally , though , you should plant seeds directly in the garden right after your last average freeze date .
For in effect result , infinite individual Glass Gem corn plant about 6 to 12 inches asunder within run-in that are about 30 inches apart . If you ’re pressed for space , you’re able to also plant sets of three or four come in a individual mound . Then , found a few of these mounds a few feet apart .
Because corn is hungry for atomic number 7 , I meliorate my filth with ruined compost at planting time and again at the end of the growing season .
To naturally deter insect pests , I also plant dozens of marigolds near the corn patch . Of course , that may not be enough to full safeguard your crop . You should check your plants at least once each day forsigns of worry .
Sharing These Gems
If you do have lots of room and require to help spread this cum , Schoen recommends grow 200 to 300 plants in all . ( To avoid cross - pollenation , you ’ll also need to be sure you ’re not growing it too close to other types of corn . )
Before hoard your come , allow the Indian corn to dry altogether within ears . When it ’s metre to pop off your kernels , select the most colorful , robust - depend semen to carry through and divvy up next season .
