Description

Each 'Strawberry' corn stalk produces 2 or more 2″–3″ long ruby red, strawberry-shaped ears on compact 4' stalks. Beautiful foliage when used at the back of your flower border. At summer's end, harvest the kernels for popcorn. Kids will love to watch the ruby red kernels magically turn white when popped! You may want to save a few of these charming ears, as well as the dried stalks, for fall decor. The stalks are a nice backdrop to displays of pumpkins, gourds, and dried cobs.

Botanical Name: Zea mays
Days to Maturity: 100–105 days
Family: Poaceae
Native: Americas
Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual
Plant Dimensions: 4' tall, 2 ½' wide
Variety Information: 2″-3″ long strawberry-shaped ears with dark ruby-red kernels. 'Strawberry' is a flint type corn that pops into a butterfly/snowflake shape.
Type: Flint (Learn More)

When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is at least 60°F, ideally 65°–90°F
When to Start Inside: Not recommended; roots sensitive to transplanting. Best results occur when seedlings are transplanted less than 2 weeks old.
Days to Emerge: 5–10 days
Seed Depth: 1″–1 ½”
Seed Spacing: A group of 2 seeds every 12″
Row Spacing: 24″–36″
Thinning: When 4″ tall, thin to 1 every 12″

Harvesting: Let the ears dry on the stalks. The kernels are ready for harvest when they are hard and you can no longer leave a mark on them with your fingernail. Before the first fall frost, give each ear a twist until it breaks off. Peel back the husks, then hang the ears in a cool, dark, dry place for 4 to 6 weeks to cure. This is important to prevent mold and to dry to the optimal moisture percentage for popping. (In a perfect popcorn world, that would be 13½–14%.) After that, the cobs are ready for popping or storing. To strip off cured kernels, twist the cobs back and forth to loosen them (gloves are recommended).

This packet sows up to 16 feet. 31 seeds.