(105 days) Open-pollinated. An heirloom dual-purpose corn with 5–8" ears that look like smaller versions of Indian corn. The shiny bright ears come in an array of colors, with red, yellow and mottled rosy-brown most common, but brown, purple, blue, white and other combinations possible. Kernels are smaller than those of most Indian corns, but larger than conventional popcorns. Calico is both decorative and edible so you can hang it on your door in fall and pop the very same batch on Thanksgiving. About 200 seeds/oz. ①
Calico Popcorn
Calico Popcorn
(105 days) Open-pollinated. An heirloom dual-purpose corn with 5–8" ears that look like smaller versions of Indian corn. The shiny bright ears come in an array of colors, with red, yellow and mottled rosy-brown most common, but brown, purple, blue, white and other combinations possible. Kernels are smaller than those of most Indian corns, but larger than conventional popcorns. Calico is both decorative and edible so you can hang it on your door in fall and pop the very same batch on Thanksgiving. About 200 seeds/oz. ①
Additional Information
Popcorn
Seed counts vary widely among varieties. Market grower Jason Kafka says that popcorn is a wonderful novelty for CSA shares. Americans consume more than 16 billion quarts of it per year. Why not try growing some?
Corn
- About 85–275 seeds/oz. 1 oz packet sows 25 ft, 1 lb sows 400 ft.
- Seeds per packet vary, open-pollinated selections average 100 seeds/oz, normal sugary varieties 140 seeds/oz, and SE cultivars with shrunken seeds 150-160 seeds/oz.
- Days to maturity are from emergence after direct sowing; for transplants, subtract 20 days.
Culture: Untreated sweet corn seed will not germinate in cold wet soil. Please be patient and wait till soil warms to at least 60° before sowing, or start seedlings indoors and transplant at 3–6" before taproots take off. Minimum soil temperature 55°, optimal temperature range 65–85°. Tender, will not survive frost. Heavy nitrogen requirements.
Germination Testing
For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.
Our Seeds are Non-GMO
All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.