While visiting the St. Paul's Farmers' Market in Minnesota, I bought some
fresh popping corn (by fresh I mean harvested less than a month (or maybe 3
months?) before sale, or so the seller told us). It is very very good--the
end result is puffy, light, and crispy popcorn. It pops much better than
Orville Redenbacher's, Jolly Time, or other commercial brands.

Time for my question, has anyone ever grown their own popping corn? It's
obviously too late for this year, but I'd like to expand my garden and try
to grow some next year. If anyone has had some success with this, which
kind (I've done some research, and there are several types
http://www.crookham.com/pop.html ) might grow best in small gardens tended
by neophytes? Would it be possible to save a few kernels of the stuff I
have and try to plant them next year?

Also, if I were to try to grow sweet corn and popping corn, I obviously
could not plant them close together or there might be some
cross-pollination, right?

BTW, I have some teeny tiny cantaloupes on my cantaloupe plants (they're
actually musk melons, I've learned) and I harvested some of the teeny tiny
tomatoes (according to the little info card, they're supposed to be 5-6 oz,
but mine are only about 1 oz each) from my surviving two tomato plants.
It's kind of fun, this gardening thing. I only hope it stays hot enough for
the cantaloupes to develop and ripen. I planted them a bit late, you see,
so they may end up dying in infancy due to frost (I'm in Winnipeg,
Manitoba--zone 3a, I think). Poor babies.

--
"Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and they will
**** upon your computer."
--Bruce Graham