Penn and Cord about to plant the Glass Gem. When Seeds Trust trusted us with 300 seeds of the famous Glass Gem Popcorn last spring we were excited to try it. It was a thrill - this is the corn the whole world wants and the waiting lists keep getting longer as the people wait for the seed.
We had first seen the corn at Seed School in 2010 and Cord wanted to grow it then. I recently wrote an article about the Glass Gem Corn Craze in the Colorado Gardner, (www.coloradogardener.com), giving even more shine on this wildly popular corn. (Pictures of the corn went viral before there was much seed available - people are waiting!)
We've been growing Seeds Trust's Candy Mountain Sweet Corn for over 20 years at 8,000 ft. in the Rockies so we felt confident we could grow this corn.
So beautiful - and diverse. There is nothing like it. The following is photographic documentation of our attempt in yet another wildly different and strange year in Colorado.
We had first seen the corn at Seed School in 2010 and Cord wanted to grow it then. I recently wrote an article about the Glass Gem Corn Craze in the Colorado Gardner, (www.coloradogardener.com), giving even more shine on this wildly popular corn. (Pictures of the corn went viral before there was much seed available - people are waiting!)
We've been growing Seeds Trust's Candy Mountain Sweet Corn for over 20 years at 8,000 ft. in the Rockies so we felt confident we could grow this corn.
So beautiful - and diverse. There is nothing like it. The following is photographic documentation of our attempt in yet another wildly different and strange year in Colorado.
History in our hands.
 Preparing the site - three - 5' X 20' Bio-intensive beds. |  Young plants up and going in June. |
 Weeding once.  Seed to soil contact - firm the soil after planting seeds. |  At 5" tall - a pole bean is planted to feed nitrogen to the corn.  Fertilizing the corn organically followed by heavy mulch. |
We had perfect, vigorous germination and good early growth in the sunny warmth of June. The bean plants were all up at the foot of each corn plant and we were off to a good start.
When the rains came, the plants grew lush and deep green, absolutely beautiful, it looked like the happiest corn in the world. About the time it was 5- 6' tall, we were both wondering when it was going to tassle. It seemed to be taking it's sweet little time. Suddenly it was late August and I was getting worried. This is an ancestral corn from the Cherokee people and although I don't know a proper corn ceremony, I planned to dance naked as another form of stimulant I could give it - when the hail beat me to it! I'd like to take credit for the tassling, but it was probably the hail, just the right amount to stimulate the outer leaves but not kill the crowns. It started tassling shortly after.
When the rains came, the plants grew lush and deep green, absolutely beautiful, it looked like the happiest corn in the world. About the time it was 5- 6' tall, we were both wondering when it was going to tassle. It seemed to be taking it's sweet little time. Suddenly it was late August and I was getting worried. This is an ancestral corn from the Cherokee people and although I don't know a proper corn ceremony, I planned to dance naked as another form of stimulant I could give it - when the hail beat me to it! I'd like to take credit for the tassling, but it was probably the hail, just the right amount to stimulate the outer leaves but not kill the crowns. It started tassling shortly after.
Lush and green.
 And then the hail came. |  Tattered outer leaves with crowns intact. |
Dancing naked in the corn to make it tassle.
 The first tassle! |  More to come. |
When the corn finally started to tassle it shot up to over 7' tall and showed great promise. But by late August we knew it wasn't going to make it without help. On September first, the day before Max left for college - he was still packing, he and other boys, helped Cord erect the framework below.
By the time we got the cover over it - a pretty huge cover, a lot of the corn was 9' tall and some pushing 10'. Some of it touched the roof when they put the plastic on. It grew during the time they installed the frame and put on the cover. It was crazy tall and each, now, long, skinny stalk, had multiple silks setting ears. The pollen was amazing in there, falling and collecting on the leaves below, when you walked through it, you had the sensation of moving the pollen just with your body passing by. The corn had a stunning presence, I was very aware it was special, even though I can't explain it here. It was so relaxing and lovely to water - especially when I had a little music. I completely believed it would make it - especially because we had the big cover to get it through the first few frosts of September. We watered religiously and opened and closed the thing every day.
By the time we got the cover over it - a pretty huge cover, a lot of the corn was 9' tall and some pushing 10'. Some of it touched the roof when they put the plastic on. It grew during the time they installed the frame and put on the cover. It was crazy tall and each, now, long, skinny stalk, had multiple silks setting ears. The pollen was amazing in there, falling and collecting on the leaves below, when you walked through it, you had the sensation of moving the pollen just with your body passing by. The corn had a stunning presence, I was very aware it was special, even though I can't explain it here. It was so relaxing and lovely to water - especially when I had a little music. I completely believed it would make it - especially because we had the big cover to get it through the first few frosts of September. We watered religiously and opened and closed the thing every day.
So we decide to cover it.
 It's heavy. |  Putting on the cover. |
Sides roll open and doors open on each end.
When we first covered the corn it rained hard and long for a week. We didn't ventilate much until we discovered rust spreading through the plants at an alarming rate. We ran to look it up to learn what to do. Ventilation was our best tool so we opened up even during the cool rain and then when the sun came out it naturally reversed it and it eventually slowed down to a halt. After that it was too dry for it to make any progress but we were dealing with a disease we don't usually have to deal with - because we are usually so dry. The Candy Mountain Sweet Corn Seeds Trust carries is adapting happily to the high and dry. But the Glass Gem arrived on the coolest, wettest, cloudiest, slowest year we've maybe ever seen. The plants grew huge plant bodies and didn't set fruit until the end of the summer - we saw it with the squash and tomatoes too.
2012 and 2013 will be my Poster Children for "Every year is different in Colorado". I'm not messing around. There could not be two more different years. So - once again, Colorado, Earth, Mother Nature - is in charge of our crop and we are just little high-altitude gardeners trying to grow a precious corn. So maybe next year Colorado will grow the Glass Gem early and we will have a heavy crop of the world's most beautiful corn.
Even the tassles were beautiful and multi-colored. The following pictures were about 5 days too late - they were past their peak but you can still see the variation. I loved it.
2012 and 2013 will be my Poster Children for "Every year is different in Colorado". I'm not messing around. There could not be two more different years. So - once again, Colorado, Earth, Mother Nature - is in charge of our crop and we are just little high-altitude gardeners trying to grow a precious corn. So maybe next year Colorado will grow the Glass Gem early and we will have a heavy crop of the world's most beautiful corn.
Even the tassles were beautiful and multi-colored. The following pictures were about 5 days too late - they were past their peak but you can still see the variation. I loved it.
Glass Gem Corn Tassles
  |   |
After the first light frosts, the green stalks will continue the cobs - well - on a normal year - whatever that is.
This is when you know - that not even one cob has any development on it at all. It took a long time for me to have the courage to open a cob to find what I already knew. It was over. No Glass Gem for a waiting list of thousands. We would have to try again.
I called Julia Coffey of Seeds Trust the other day - and blurted out, "total and complete crop failure on the Glass Gem" and started to cry - even though I didn't want to or plan to. (Cord never cried, he'd faced reality long before and as this was primarily his baby - he is looking forward to trying again next year.)
Julia was awesome of course, she told me she had no doubt that we had done everything we could to make it happen. She knew it was a risk on a good year in the mountains. She understands that it requires time and patience to grow seed.
I don't regret the year that was, the cool rainy days were like heaven to me. Our land hasn't seen moisture like that in 20 years. But cool, rainy mountain weather doesn't grow a Cherokee corn in a hurry.
So, next year it is, it will fly - it will grow to fruition, we know what we are doing when it comes to corn, (naked dancing aside), and Julia is willing to let us try again. No matter what, it was beautiful in all stages and a great pleasure to grow.
I called Julia Coffey of Seeds Trust the other day - and blurted out, "total and complete crop failure on the Glass Gem" and started to cry - even though I didn't want to or plan to. (Cord never cried, he'd faced reality long before and as this was primarily his baby - he is looking forward to trying again next year.)
Julia was awesome of course, she told me she had no doubt that we had done everything we could to make it happen. She knew it was a risk on a good year in the mountains. She understands that it requires time and patience to grow seed.
I don't regret the year that was, the cool rainy days were like heaven to me. Our land hasn't seen moisture like that in 20 years. But cool, rainy mountain weather doesn't grow a Cherokee corn in a hurry.
So, next year it is, it will fly - it will grow to fruition, we know what we are doing when it comes to corn, (naked dancing aside), and Julia is willing to let us try again. No matter what, it was beautiful in all stages and a great pleasure to grow.
This is where it stands today - (or not), we will take down the cover and make compost with the plants.
Copyright (C) 2013 Use all photos with permission only.
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