Grow Popcorn In Your Garden

Yes, you can grow popcorn in your backyard garden, pop it, and enjoy it with butter and salt while you watch a movie in your home. Popcorn comes in a variety of kernel colors and it is fun to grow and pop! You can buy popcorn seed at David’s Garden Seeds®.

Grow Popcorn In Your Garden - 3/30-4/5/26

Grow popcorn in the traditional color like our Robust seed.

This is a traditional popcorn color. It is Robust.

If you’ve ever stood in the snack aisle staring at boxes of microwave popcorn, you’ve probably thought, “There has to be a simpler way.” Good news: there is. You can grow popcorn in your backyard garden, dry it yourself, and stash it in jars so you’re always one movie night away from a fresh, crackly bowl.

The best part is that popcorn isn’t just “popcorn.” You can grow popcorn in fun colors like blue, red, and a rainbow of colors, and it feels a little like gardening mixed with a science project. The plants look like classic corn, but the payoff is snack magic.

I still remember the first time I grew popcorn. I expected something delicate, like strawberries. Instead, I got tall, sturdy plants that handled summer like champs. When we finally popped our first batch, the kernels actually tasted fresher than anything we’d bought.

Let’s walk through the whole thing together: picking seeds, planting, caring for your popcorn patch, harvesting, drying, storing in glass jars, and then finally learning how to pop your own popcorn with simple salt and butter.

Grow Popcorn - Start With The Best Seeds

We're David's Garden Seeds® and we're committed to bring you the very best seed to plant and that includes popcorn in many fun colors!

First, a quick note about the “why.” Popcorn does not have to come from a microwavable envelope filled with chemicals. When you grow it yourself, you control what goes into your bowl—just kernels, heat, and whatever toppings you love.

Popcorn is a type of corn, but not every corn variety will pop well. You need popcorn seed made for popping. If you want interesting colors, look for varieties that mention blue, red, or multicolor kernels.

Since seeds can be found at David’s Garden Seeds, that’s a handy place to start when you want to buy popcorn seed for your garden. When you’re choosing, think about two things: how much space you have and what colors sound fun.

Grow Popcorn - What Does It Need?

This is Japanese Hulless popcorn.

Popcorn needs warmth. Plan to plant after your last frost date, when nights are no longer chilly and the soil has warmed up. Corn hates cold soil, and it will just sit there and sulk.

Choose a sunny spot. Popcorn wants full sun, which means at least 6–8 hours of direct light most days. More sun usually means stronger plants and better ears.

Give it room, too. Popcorn grows tall, and it can shade smaller plants. I like putting it where it won’t block my tomatoes or peppers—usually along the north side of a garden bed.

Next, look at your soil. Popcorn likes soil that drains well and isn’t rock-hard. If your ground is heavy clay, mix in compost so roots can push through more easily.

A simple pre-plant checklist helps a lot:
- Full sun spot
- Loose soil mixed with compost
- A plan for watering
- Enough space for a small block of plants

Here’s a key tip many new corn growers miss: plant popcorn in a block, not a single long row. Corn uses wind to move pollen, and a block setup helps the plants pollinate each other.

For a backyard garden, even a small block works. Think something like 4 rows with several plants per row. You don’t need a farm—you just need neighbors close enough for good pollination.

Grow Popcorn - Planting

Strawberry Cherry Berry Popcorn - isn't it pretty?

When you’re ready to plant, make holes about 1 to 1½ inches deep. Drop seeds in, cover them, and pat the soil gently so the seeds have good contact with the dirt.

Spacing matters. A common, easy spacing is about 8–12 inches between plants, with rows about 24–36 inches apart. If you pack them too tight, you’ll get skinny plants and smaller ears.

Water the planted area well right after planting. After that, keep the soil lightly moist while seeds sprout. If the top of the soil dries out completely for long stretches, germination can be spotty.

In warm weather, you’ll usually see sprouts in about a week or so. The first time those green blades pop up, it’s honestly exciting—like the garden is officially “on.”

Once the plants are a few inches tall, thin them if you planted extra seeds per spot. It feels mean, I know, but the remaining plants grow better when they aren’t competing.

Grow Popcorn - Taking Care Of Popcorn Plants

This is mini colored popcorn.

Now let’s talk ongoing care, because this is where popcorn goes from “plants” to “harvest.” Your main jobs are simple: water, weed, and keep an eye out for problems.

Water deeply, especially during hot stretches. Corn is a thirsty plant, and uneven watering can lead to weak growth. Aim for steady moisture, not soggy soil.

A basic watering rhythm that works for many gardens is:
- Water more during heat waves
- Water less after soaking rain
- Try not to let plants wilt often

Mulch helps a lot. A layer of straw, shredded leaves, or grass clippings (as long as they’re clean and chemical-free) can help hold moisture and reduce weeds.

Grow Popcorn - As It Grows

South American popcorn is another normal looking popcorn variety.

Weeds are more than just annoying—they steal water and nutrients. Weed early while plants are small. Later, your popcorn will get tall and shade out some weeds on its own.

If your soil is decent and you mixed in compost, popcorn often grows fine without anything fancy. If your plants look pale or slow, adding more compost around the base can help.

As the season goes on, you’ll see the plants shoot up fast. One week they look knee-high, and the next week they’re towering. This is normal, and it’s one of the reasons growing popcorn feels so satisfying.

You’ll notice tassels at the top of the plant and silks on the ears. This is the pollination stage, and it’s important. The tassels release pollen, and the silks catch it.

During this time, avoid letting plants get drought-stressed. If they get too dry while silks are out, you can end up with ears missing kernels.

If you’re growing more than one type of corn, remember that different corns can cross-pollinate. If you want your popcorn to stay true to its type, keep it away from other corn varieties or grow only popcorn.

Common garden visitors may show up. Birds sometimes pull sprouts, and squirrels may take interest later. If critters are a big issue where you live, consider light netting early or other simple barriers.

Another thing you might see is the plant leaning after wind or rain. This usually fixes itself. Corn can “self-right” to a point, and roots will brace as it matures.

As ears develop, you’ll see husks grow plumper. Don’t rush it. Popcorn is not harvested like sweet corn. You are going for fully mature, dry kernels.

Grow Popcorn - Harvesting

This is Shades of Blue popcorn and you can grow popcorn that is blue in your backyard garden!

This is the biggest mindset shift: popcorn is a “wait for it” crop. You want the plant to dry down naturally as much as possible before you harvest.

You’ll know harvest time is getting close when the plant starts turning tan and dry, and the husks look papery instead of green. The ears should feel firm and full.

When I harvested my first popcorn, I picked too early because I got impatient. The kernels popped badly—half popped, half didn’t. After that, I learned to wait for the dry stage, and the popping improved a lot.

To harvest, twist or snap the ear off the stalk. If the stalk is very dry, it usually breaks cleanly. Keep the husk on at first if you plan to hang-dry the ears.

Grow Popcorn - Drying

This is Red Husk Spectrum popcorn.

After harvest, you’re moving into the most important part: drying. Popcorn needs to be dry enough to pop well, but not so dry that it pops poorly or burns fast.

A simple way to dry is to hang ears in a warm, dry, airy place. A garage, shed, or covered porch can work if it stays dry. You can tie several ears together by the husks.

If you don’t want to hang them, you can also lay ears out in a single layer on a screen or rack so air can move around them. Just keep them out of rain and away from dampness.

Drying takes time—often weeks. You’re letting nature do slow work here. This is where homegrown popcorn becomes a pantry food you can store and enjoy later.

Grow Popcorn - Shelling

Glass Gem popcorn is so pretty!

Once the kernels feel hard and glassy, you can start shelling. Shelling just means taking the kernels off the cob. You can twist them off by hand over a bowl.

Here are a few shelling tips that make it easier:
- Wear gloves if your hands get sore
- Work over a big bowl or sheet pan
- Go slow so kernels don’t fly everywhere

After shelling, look over your kernels. Remove any damaged kernels, bits of cob, or anything that looks moldy. Only clean, healthy kernels should go into storage.

Grow Popcorn - Storing

Now you’re ready to store your harvest. This is where the “popcorn pantry” idea gets really fun. You can pour your kernels into clean, dry glass jars with tight-fitting lids.

Store jars in a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight. A pantry cabinet works great. The goal is to protect your kernels from moisture swings and pests.

Label your jars with the variety and date. If you grew blue, red, or rainbow types, labeling is especially helpful because you’ll want to remember which one popped best or tasted best.

Grow Popcorn - Pop Away!

Before you plan a big movie night, do a small test pop. It tells you if your popcorn is dry enough and popping well. If lots of kernels don’t pop, it may need more drying time.

When it’s time to cook, you don’t need a microwave bag. You can pop your own popcorn on the stovetop with a pot and a lid, and it’s simple once you get the hang of it.

Basic stovetop popping looks like this:
- Add a little cooking oil to a pot
- Add enough kernels to cover the bottom in one layer
- Put the lid on and heat until popping starts
- Shake the pot gently sometimes so it doesn’t scorch

As soon as popping slows down, pull the pot off the heat. Waiting too long can burn the popcorn at the bottom. Pour it into a big bowl right away.

Then go classic: salt and butter. Melt butter, drizzle it over, sprinkle salt, and toss. This is the part where homegrown popcorn really shines—freshly popped kernels with real toppings you choose.

If you like experimenting, try mix-ins after you master the basics:
- Garlic salt or chili powder
- Parmesan
- Cinnamon sugar (lightly)
- Ranch seasoning

If your popcorn is chewing instead of crisping, it usually means the kernels weren’t dried enough before storage. Spread them out for a while longer and try again later.

If you get lots of unpopped “old maids,” it can be drying-related or just a normal batch variation. Homegrown popcorn can vary a bit, especially across different colors and varieties.

Grow Popcorn - You Did It!

The real win is that you did it—you grew a snack. When you grow popcorn in your backyard garden, you get a fun summer crop, a fall harvest project, and a winter-ready jar of comfort food all in one.

So if you’re ready to turn your garden into movie-night fuel, start small, pick a fun color, and go for it. You can buy popcorn seed at David’s Garden Seeds®, plant a little block in the sun, and soon you’ll be able to grow popcorn in your backyard garden and pop your own popcorn whenever you want.

Monday, March 30, 2026

Good morning. I woke up two times in the night with neuropathy. I was dreaming and all of a sudden, one of the dogs was barking her head off. I have no idea why but she woke me up at 6:15am. I could not get back to sleep so here I am.

Store Hours For Holy Week

Don't forget that we have limited hours this week. Monday through Thursday, we will be open from 9am to 5pm but we will be closed from Friday through Sunday to observe Good Friday to Easter.

Matt calls this one Boss Chicken because she runs the henhouse and roosts by the door each night, guarding.

This morning, we had a fence put up in the backyard blocking the dogs from accessing the part of the yard by the chicken yard. The dogs have to go out of the side door only to be in the right part of the backyard. This should, once again, keep my chickens safe from them.

We used to have a fence dividing the yard but when David pulled my pool down last fall, he took the fence down. For months, the dogs did not bother but on Saturday, they tunneled under the fence, into the chicken yard and, well, if you read last Saturday's post, you know what happened. Hopefully, that is over.

We had two helpers here today and got a lot done. We came in just before 8pm and I was too tired to cook. We had grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. It was good.

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Matt corralling a chicken back into its yard.

Good morning. David left early. He and Matt had a 7am father/son makeover. In fact, Matt just walked in the door. David is still over there in the chair, probably asleep while he gets worked on. I know this because I have gone with him before and I am always amazed how he can sleep when someone has a straight razor on his face. I would be terrified. (Lol!)

I need to get ready for the day and start working again. It is currently 68° but it will get up to 89° today.

I put on some shorts that I had not been able to fit in and I was very pleased with myself.

I walked across the complex to our Farm Store to start work when David called. He was out back and was not happy that there was asparagus to be picked. I had to drop everything and pick two full hoop houses--that is 20 large raised garden beds filled with asparagus. It took me an hour. By the time I was done, I was sore all over and soaking wet. While I was out there, I visited my goats and took the treat cup in with me. They all loved it, even Markie.

Then I carried in the hod full of asparagus, put it in my farm sink to soak for a little while, and changed my cute outfit that was now dripping in sweat.

I ordered moringa powder from Amazon. It was supposed to arrive today. It was lunchtime and I took David his lunch as the Amazon man arrived. He dropped off an open, empty envelope addressed to me. I called him back. Did you get that? He actually had the nerve to deliver a completely empty, open envelope to my face and act like he did something praiseworthy. Wow!

He acted like he hadn't noticed it was completely empty and open, never sealed. Once I told him, he called it in to his supervisor. She said for him to mark it as damaged and they would send a new one. Amazon showed it as not yet delivered but expected at any moment. Then around 8:30pm, Amazon showed that my packaged was delivered to Von Ormy for processing. Maybe I will get it tomorrow...

This afternoon, around 3pm, I put in a small grocery order at Walmart. Walmart said it would be delivered between 7pm and 9pm this evening. By 8:35pm, it showed it was still being prepared. Then, I got a text saying it would arrive at 10:10pm. I tried to move it to tomorrow morning, but it kept saying 10:10pm so I canceled it. Then I reordered for it to arrive in the morning. It said I had to wait 10 days to get my money back from the original order and that I would have to pay again to have it delivered in the morning. I canceled it. This is stupid.

It was another long day of orders. One of our helpers will not be back until next Monday. We were hoping he could work for the rest of the week.

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Good morning. I need to do some more planting this morning. First, I will need to check on the things in my greenhouse. I wonder if any of the comfrey or moringa are coming up.

I am getting small roots on my sweet potato. My celery and bunching onion bases are growing. This past Saturday, when I got my grocery order, I cut about three inches of base on my celery stalks and on my bunching onions and put them in one inch of water. I saw videos of growing food from grocery scraps so I decided to try it. Pretty cool stuff!

Walmart gave me my money back so I reordered with a delivery between 11am and 1pm--too late for anything earlier...

Matt is up in Devine doing things for David before work so I had to go out and unlock the business for our helper who is coming in today but won't be here tomorrow. While I was out there, I fed the cat and the fish. Then I planted some snapdragons along with spearmint and peppermint into my large pots. I went back inside and made breakfast tacos because I was starving.

I unloaded the dishwasher and I feel accomplished.

So, around 10am this morning, Amazon pulled up. I went out to greet the driver. This was a different driver than the one yesterday who gave me the open empty envelope. Well, sure enough he hands me the exact same open empty envelope and tells me to have a nice day. I told him that this envelope is open and empty and is the same envelope that the driver from yesterday gave me.

I told him the whole Amazon story and he said pretty much the same crap as yesterday's driver. I thanked him and declined the delivery again. I went into my office and called Amazon. I told the Filipino customer service rep what happened and she put me on hold. She came back and said she refunded me and gave me a $10 credit.

Amazon is going downhill fast hiring complete idiots at the warehouse who can't seal an envelope. They pass the package along and no one cares that it isn't sealed. The product drops out but they are determined to deliver an empty envelope twice. The drivers could feel there was nothing in the envelope and they could see that it was open and empty, yet they both delivered it.

This is definitely not the first time they have done stupid things with us. We sold our seeds on Amazon for 16 years and finally stopped last year because of all of the nonsense and new fees.

I took this shot from our side porch as I let the dogs in this evening.

The pink moon came up this evening. It is called pink because of the spring blooms and it looked beautiful as it came up.

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Our fruit trees are in bloom across the orchard.

Good morning. It is already Thursday. The Artemis II went up yesterday and I am just now watching video of it from Dune Buggy Jim who went to see the launch live. He always has good video of the launches. I was working when it went up live. This was a great video. Thank you @Dune Buggy Jim!

Since the massacre on Saturday, I have been getting six eggs a day. Prior to that, I was getting enough to fill two cartons most days. I guess they are still traumatized.

It will be 91° today. This is the last day of our work week. Again, we will be closed tomorrow and Saturday. We have no helpers today so it is just us trying to get orders out before the mailman comes.

There are dandelions everywhere on the property, food for the bees.

While I was going over to our store to get some seeds, the Amazon truck drove by. I was afraid they were coming to bring me the empty envelope again, but they did not! Ha!

More of my plants are coming up in the greenhouse.

I planted some more of my zinnia and snapdragon plants as the blowing wind is just ruining them. Tomorrow I will need to plant some of my tomato plants as they are also being ruined by the blowing wind.

I cannot remember the wind like this in the spring ever before out here or for the 20 years that I lived in San Antonio. In El Paso, yes, it blows every single day for the entire month of March plus you get a mouthful of sand every time you go outside. However, it does not do that here. So why is it doing that this year?

At the end of the work day, we went to the house to make a nice Thursday meal. Matt and I went out to put the animals away. Matt collected 14 eggs today, way more than the six we have collected all week long!

Matt grilled meat and I baked potatoes as well as sweet potatoes. I also made corn on the cob and we had romaine lettuce, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes with ranch dressing. It was a very good meal! David and I will be eating well tomorrow and Saturday because there is a lot left over.

I am excited to have off tomorrow. Hopefully, I will really get to be off. Usually, I have to work on our days off because there is always so much to do.

Friday, April 3, 2026

We have lots of daisies growing all over the back. Ever since I was a little girl, they have been my favorite flower.

Good morning. It is Good Friday and we are closed today. So far, I have fed the dogs. I get to go out and feed everyone all by myself because Matt is off today. I went out yesterday evening and got things fixed up so it would be much easier for me this morning.

But first, I need to make breakfast for me so I don't faint out there...

I had breakfast and then went out and fed all of the animals. I put new wood shavings in the nesting boxes for the chickens. I also transplanted some of my cherry tomatoes that I grew. Very few of our plants have sold this year which I find very strange.

It is supposed to rain today but so far, nothing. It was supposed to rain at 4am and then at 8am but it did not.

I got several things done at home. At 4pm, I had to go put away the animals for the day because we left at 5pm to go to a church in Yancey for dinner and a Good Friday service. We didn't get back until after 8pm. We got zero rain all day long.

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Good morning. It is Saturday and we are closed. I will be cleaning and making Easter food. We still have not had any rain.

I fed everyone and rejoiced that I have today off. Hahaha.

First off, some man called and wants 6 packs of cucumbers overnighted to him. David told him overnight shipping is $20. Hahaha.

So I had to go fill the order and overnight it. Overnight shipping which really means two days out here in the boonies plus weekend time is $37.95 so no way.

I prepared the order and sent it two day as the man only paid half of what is necessary for overnight shipping. As I was closing orders, customers showed up, one after another. We had more customers today when we are closed than we had all week long. Needless to say, it is 2:35pm and I just came in from work on my day off.

Now I have just a few hours to clean and bake for the holiday. Doesn't anyone check websites for holiday hours?

Rain? Ha! We still haven't had a drop today even though Alexa says it is raining right now. I tell her it is not and she tells me over and over that it is. Oh well.

Now it is 6pm and still no rain. Today was our biggest chance and it is now gone.

We had a delicious meal and watched an American Werewolf In London on Svengoolie. It was rather stupid.

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter! I set my alarm for 5:45am. It is finally raining here. I am dressed for the sunrise service and I'm having a breakfast snack so I don't faint before the church serves a late breakfast after the 8am sunrise service. Then we have to rush back home so I can feed the animals and get dressed for the regular Easter service.

When I was a little girl, only my father would go to the sunrise service. Then we would all get up at the regular time, eat breakfast, and go to Sunday School and church. I have always hated getting up too early and I would rather stay home now, too, but my husband does not feel that way. Back then, we also had to go to church in the evening, rain, shine, or snow.

It is currently 56° and the high today will be 65°. I think it started raining around 5:15am because that is the time I happened to wake up to take my thyroid pill and I could barely hear it starting. I could be wrong.

This banner was up at church this morning.

We got 1/8 inch of rain. We went to the sunrise service but it was indoors since it was raining. We had a nice breakfast in the fellowship hall after the service. Then we rushed home but it was almost 10am by the time we got home. I had to feed the cat, the fish, the chickens, and the goats. I got back inside at 10:08am and David decided we were not going back.

In our field late this afternoon, there was a buzzard and hawk conference with 3 hawks. I was a bit scared to go out and collect eggs but I was ok. The 5 female goats are expecting...

The goats are always starving now. Over the next few weeks, I will have to separate Markie from the girls so he doesn't hurt any of the coming babies. He won't like it.

Return from Grow Popcorn to Year 7 Of Farm Life

Anything To Share On This Topic?

Would you like to share additional information about this topic with all of us?

Enter Your Title

Tell Us Your Story! [ ? ]

Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional)[ ? ]

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional)

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(e.g., City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.
I am at least 16 years of age.
I understand and accept the privacy policy.
I understand that you will display my submission on your website.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

Since 2009, over 2,000,000 home gardeners, all across the USA, have relied on David's Garden Seeds® to grow beautiful, productive gardens. Trust is at the heart of it. Our customers know David's Garden Seeds® stocks only the highest quality seeds available. Our mission is to become your lifetime supplier of quality seeds. It isn't just to serve you once; we want to earn your trust as the primary supplier of all of your garden seeds.

Watch Our 2022 TV Commercial!

Sing Along To Our Jingle

Matt with one of our Barred Rock chickens. The chickens adore him. ♪♫♪♪♫♫

♪♫♪♪ ♫ ♪ ♫♪♫♫

♪♫♪♪♫♫

Peppers and peas

And lots of yummy greens

You can't go wrong

With Squash This Long

At David's Garden Seeds

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

Our New 2024 TV Ad

Please like and subscribe on YouTube and come visit us at our Farm Store! The music on our TV ad was written, played, and sung by our son, Matthew Schulze. You can meet him when you come to the farm. He just might give you a tour. Ask him to grab a guitar and sing our jingle that he wrote.

Our 2022 TV Ad

David of David's Garden Seeds® zipping along on his little tractor across the farm. He is having a blast!

We are David's Garden Seeds®. If you need great seeds, we've got over 1,400 varieties to choose from.

Subscribe To Mrs. David's Garden Seeds® Newsletter For FREE!

Hi! I am Juanita aka Mrs. DGS. This photo was taken in our commercial kitchen during a potluck.

Mrs Davids Garden Seeds in the greenhouse with Lucy the lap dog.

Find out what is going on down on the farm by reading our blog and by subscribing to our free newsletter for all of the information going down at David's Garden Seeds® and on the farm. I love to share helpful information with you. Please let your friends know and y'all come on down for a visit when you get the chance. We would love to meet you!