The Story of IMPOSSIBLE Peruvian Corn with Matt Powers

[@dietrevich]

I grow Peruvian corn but I plant it in mid August and it's ready at very the end of November beginning of December here in central Florida in full sun zone 9b. It only gets 7ft tall and tassels and silk normally. I time it so that it starts on 13 hrs sunlight and ends with 11 hrs by the time is done so that it grows normally. This timing works well with tropical corns.

[@MattPowersSoil]

[@MartieMc]

Wow! Thanks for this info. I'm also in central Florida zone 9b and have what was sold as Zapatista corn (not sure exact variety name but from Chiapas Mexico) and Jaguar Priest that's supposed to produce the nitrogen fixing gel. I want to grow both next year. I was told the Zapatista corn can take 6 months and the Jaguar Priest 140 days. Really didn't want to fight bugs, storms, etc for 6 months. So thank you very much!

[@stevenecheverria5032]

I can’t believe you grew this I’m from Ecuador (right north of Peru)we eat this corn mainly where I’m from. I can’t believe you did this amazing

[@roriechittock3177]

This was fun to watch! Thank you!

[@12stepsbeyondtheeventhorizon]

Your energy is amazing dude. I like your vibe.

[@amendfuse4276]

Them: You can’t grow that here! You: Challenge Accepted!!

[@cameroncinnamon4722]

I'm super excited to have started a landrace corn project this year. I've been following the corn hybridization project over on the Bumblebee Junction channel and was able to buy a small amount of seed from them. Approx 20 heirloom flint, flour, and dent varieties all planted together. Can't wait to see the new variety that emerges victorious. Wishing you the best.

[@MartieMc]

How has your project worked out? Do you know if Bumblebee Junction is still growing their corn?

[@cameroncinnamon4722]

@@MartieMc I believe BBJ hasn't abandoned their project but may have taken a year off from the flour corn. Understandable because of the amount of space it requires. I'm not up to date on their gardening playlist. My project has been a bumpy ride to say the least. I had a decent season of selection from the BBJ mix amidst high heat and pest pressure 3 seasons ago. I kept a small percentage of those genetics in my pool but decided to aggressively shift towards a soft flour corn end goal. The BBJ mix was primarily dent. I sourced many many Native American flour corn varieties, primarily Northeastern white flours and Southwestern white flours. It's been two seasons now since my first BBJ grow out but I have not had a good crop since then. I've moved twice and LEARNED A LOT about what corn DOESN'T like. Hahaha. I will certainly keep trying. I've still got seed but my supply is dwindling. I really really need next year to produce something for me. If you're interested in landrace crop development, I would highly recommend you look into the books and content produced by Carol Deppe, Joseph Lofthouse, and Anthony Boutard.

[@cameroncinnamon4722]

Forgive me for not mentioning Dave Christensen's PM. I see that he commented on this video about his condor line maybe? His project should serve as an inspiration to any budding plant breeder. I've grown PM twice now and that stuff really doesn't like the heat I've thrown at it. I'd like to keep growing PM alongside my NE meets SW flour corn project. I've had a good enough crop of stubby PM ears, typically 4-6 inches long, to keep trying. Nothing photo worthy, but the cornbread sure does taste good!

[@MartieMc]

@@cameroncinnamon4722 I've been following Joseph Lofthouses' articles and posts for years and it really got me obsessed about breeding corn. I had to live in an apartment for a few years and tried "guerilla gardening" some corn on an empty lot which was a complete failure. Moved to GA for a few years and got some experience growing several varieties of dent corn and figured out a couple varieties that I really love that are strong, productive, and have incredibly good husks to keep out earworms. Now I'm back in FL between a river and a lake on land that sometimes lightly floods. Planted Tuxpeno and Pencil Cob on hills last month and we got 20 inches of rain in Sept, 10 inches of which was from Hurricane Ian which laid it flat while still small. But it's all standing back up straight and about 3 ft tall at a little over a month out of the ground so heres hoping I have roastin ears at Thanksgiving and dry harvest before Christmas. The average first frost is Jan 3 so here's hoping. I have about 15 dent corns to plant in a hybrid swarm with a flint/flour corn called Jaguar Priest that was just delivered today. Has speckles and supposedly produces the nitrogen fixing gel. Will be working on building chinampa aka raised mound beds over the winter to plant my corn on to keep it out of the flood zone. So much work for such apparently little results sometimes, but I have to try. I'm so sad when I have nowhere to grow corn. Must make the best of it while I can. My little corn patches are like my church. They give me such joy. Corn is sacred to me. It's hard to explain. I wish you great success in your growing

[@cameroncinnamon4722]

@@MartieMc I had a bit of an obsessive phase with this beautiful Andean speckled corn. I sourced two flavors of it with the intention of growing it out, but the seed is still in my shoe box. I purchased one on ebay, sold as "plumitas" that I believe closely resembles what Matt Powers has. The other was sold as "Peruvian B-V-W Giant Corn Seeds Kuyu Chuspi" by Seeds Gallery Shop. I reached out to Baker Creek to see if anybody had any background on the Andean variety they sold several years ago. I got back the following response: "Cameron, I have consulted with a corn expert for every last bit of information on this variety and I am sharing it with you directly... by the way his name is Stephen Smith he heads the Roughwood Seed collection with William Woys Weaver in Pennsylvania and you can feel free to send him a facebook request if you'd like to chat more about this particular variety, need to give him all the credit for this incredible info! I hope this helps! Pisccorunto is the official landrace name designation when the corns of Peru were studied in the 1950s-60s. Peskerunto/Peskeruntu/Kuyu/etc are all LOCAL names and variations of Pisccorunto. There’s about a dozen more but I won’t confuse you! It’s primarily from Peru and is considered a very sweet flavored corn, more so than Chullpi. It’s native range in high elevations makes short, fat and dumpy ears. The name means “bird eggs” in the local Quechua language. It’s ground into flour/meal to sweeten foods and drinks and is also used to bale various goods such as bread and cookies. It’s also eaten green as choclo."

[@MaRyWiNs3]

Love your show.Thank you for teaching!!!

[@theoriginalkeepercreek]

How many days to maturity? How much moisture will it stand? Grand Solar Minimum will be low light and wet with cooler temp.

[@MattPowersSoil]

It changes every year ;) Still adapting! First year it was planted in April and harvested in Nov/Dec

[@octavio_l8285]

Very cool. I planted purple corn this year. I'm not sure what results I will get because of the day length but I believe it will be on time to tassle when days are shorter here. We have a longer growing season in Texas so that works in my favor.

[@jonathansmith4712]

Where can I gets seeds of this corn?

[@Agr414]

Love hearing about heirloom and landrace crops.

[@kingLeo-cs2kw]

can I get some corn seed's from you please ! ? !

[@johnandleighs.9193]

Hi Matt Seed question ? If I grow a mother plant in the healthiest way and graft them on performance rootstock will that amplify the health and vigor of the seeds more so than the original rootstock it was on ?

[@MattPowersSoil]

you can't graft corn

[@johnandleighs.9193]

@@MattPowersSoil yea I know that. I was speaking about the nightshade family. There are a number of indigenous tribes trying to locate these ancestral seeds that's their forefathers grew .Have you spoke to any tribes about returning samples to them.

[@MattPowersSoil]

@@johnandleighs.9193 These landraces are common in Peru - they aren't "lost" by any stretch in their culture. These seeds were bought from the farmers only a few years ago. They aren't like seeds found in a cave or archeological site. We would gain a lot from learning from their plant breeding and seed saving culture. I'm planning a documentary trip there - so many of my friends and family have already gone and learned so much.

[@johnandleighs.9193]

@@MattPowersSoil look up To Rowena White for a better idea of what I am talking about. Thanks

[@CycleGrizzzly]

Brand new subscriber and permaculture enthusiast. And less then 24hrs after you do a video on purple Peruvian corn! My family is from Peru and I've been there SO MANY times! Do you know if this is the type that can make Chicha? Can't wait to go through you back catalogue

[@MattPowersSoil]

The purple drink? That's a different one - I have some of that too! I can't recall the name but WE LOVE PERU!!!!

[@CycleGrizzzly]

@@MattPowersSoil Yes! The sweet purple drink is Chicha Morada, a must have fresh in Peru! We still have lots of family there and return often. Glad to see the corn travelling abroad. 😃 I'm already thinking to next season!

[@Marie-or6hz]

You're such a good teacher. :) Is it possible to grow an heirloom corn in zone 4? I see many trying to grow corn here, but none really succeeding beyond a few cobs, and those are usually stunted and/or incomplete of kernels. I don't have a greenhouse, but would like to try this. Best to you and yours.

[@MattPowersSoil]

There are heirloom Canadian corn varieties: super quick season varieties that are shorter.

[@frustratedmajority851]

Painted mountain corn

[@donnabrown1518]

If I had a dime for every time someone told me that I couldn't do what I was doing in my garden, I would be rich!

[@MattPowersSoil]

[@davechristensen8299]

There is an Andean corn called Piscurrunto which has a much loved and very attractive white and dark blue spotting called "marbled" because it is larger chunks of color. (your has tiny specks like pepper). I am working on 3 lines of the marbled corn which have largely N. Am gentics and I crossed them to white Painted Mtn Corn last year. In a few years I will get the tropical genes out. This will be just for fun because the color is interesting. The marbling is only attractive in blue and white corn, in my opinion. I hesitate to put it into other colors of corn.

[@MattPowersSoil]

I love it Dave! I have a couple crossed lines with your painted mountain corn which is such a superb line - you did so well with that! THANK YOU!

[@mellofan2012]

I dont know how i got here, but damn now i want to grow corn

[@kowenkopp5648]

Can I buy some seeds from you

[@russsherwood5978]

where can i get some seeds?thank ya fer the video

[@MattPowersSoil]

There's no adapted seed for sale anywhere... yet :)

[@russsherwood5978]

@@MattPowersSoil how can i help

[@MattPowersSoil]

@@russsherwood5978 What growing zone are you in?

[@russsherwood5978]

@@MattPowersSoil 4/5 zone, raining /windy right now in central up mich

[@MattPowersSoil]

@@russsherwood5978 You def could grow it for fresh eating but it would need I think a season between your zone and mine to make the leap fully BUT corn is wild in its ability to adapt - it could make it if it was shaded just right.

[@bigtupholsterygardeningbee4170]

I still want some seed from that corn Matt

[@MattPowersSoil]

Excellent! I want to make sure you get some!!

[@bigtupholsterygardeningbee4170]

@@MattPowersSoil awesome

[@zepherzepher1228]

!much so you thank [e-mail] ,line subject the in seeds with me email Please !high as about are and feet six about out bushed his but was it what knew never and property his with them inherited who Gardner elderly an by these given was I balls, prickly with topped are that shoots stem internal long with grass tall of bunch a for trade I could also, seeds love would I

[@zepherzepher1228]

....not. Again ....everything I say KZbin types everything Backwards

[@zepherzepher1228]

I must in Reverse

[@kintiyura2855]

This is amazing! I grew up in Ecuador and miss the corn, when you are ready to sell corn seeds I would love to give them a try. Where can I follow you?

[@celdur4635]

Aren't you concerned about pushing peruvian farmers out of the market?

[@joecurry3235]

Let me get a handful , I'm in Tucson Arizona, i us native seeds , please thank you

[@MattPowersSoil]

This is ideal corn for your region!!

[@joecurry3235]

Hook a neighbor up , been growing native corn for over 20 years sir, organic, crop rotation,

[@joecurry3235]

Give me some got $$$