Popcorn is one of the most delightful and relatively carefree crops which can be grown in a home vegetable garden. I say carefree because I never spray with pesticides, and still I can produce healthy, vigorous plants with few insects. The first key to success is in planting popcorn early. I tread that thin line between planting early enough for a long growing season but late enough to miss the last late frost in April. The second key to success is nutrition and water.
Corn is a heavy feeder and requires a lot of moisture at the time the ears are in full silk.
If you meet these criteria, you should be delighted with an abundant harvest. Popcorn should be harvested soon after the husks have turned brown and the stalks are brown down from the top to the lower ear. To wait longer invites weevil infestation. Pull back the shucks, tie three ears in a bundle and string bundles in a long chain to hang in a dry, airy place for storage. Knowing just when to shell the popcorn is matter of time and experimentation and varies with how humid the season might be.