Sweetcorn and melon families

[moggssue]

Okay, I'm with the idea of rotation having read all the advice on here - but where does sweetcorn fit in? It isnt a brasicca, root veg, legume ... what IS it?!?!

And what about melons? My OH wants to have a go at growing them, but again I'm not even sure what family they are, so don't know where to put them in a rotation plan?

[Cutecumber]

Sweetcorn doesn't fit into one of the other groups. You can put it in with any of the others and move it along with them.

Melons are curcubits, like cucumbers courgettes and squashes. Melons grown here (UK) would not normally be included in a rotation because they are grown indoors, but if they are they can be added to one of the other groups, like sweetcorn.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'd put it in with the 'everything else' bed which has all the short season stuff with the toms, squash, lettuce and stuff in.

[moggssue]

Ahh, that explains why I couldnt figure them out!! Okay - the sweetcorn can go next to the toms. I presume it isnt suseptible to blight though? If it is, is it still okay to put it next to toms?!

And I might let OH have a little space in the greenhouse for a melon - as a reward for fixing the glass hahaha!

[veg4681]

Blessed the neutral veggies (along with what Cutecumber mentioned, think spinach, lettuce but not Oriental leaves, they're Brassica apparently ), I love them too. You can put them anywhere and also alongside the other main vegetable family.

I'm also giving a go with Melon this year, heaven bless me! They're not supposed to be straightforward unless you grow them under cover but you never know with with perfect sunny weather, you might just get away. I'm growing normal Canteloupe type melon and a rock melon both from Real Seeds just to test out their claims that they do the researching work for you so that you don't have to. Hopefully we'll have few discussions on melon growing.

[Cutecumber]

Sue, blight cannot affect sweetcorn, I promise.

I have grown tomatoes and sweetcorn next to one another, but they need different feeding & watering.

[moggssue]

Good luck to you Veg4681 - we can compare stories and tips later in the year - cant wait!!

I dont mind different watering and feeding, in theory at least! I think the toms will be in pots/growbags so they will have their own enviroment, while the sweetcorn is in the ground, with the pumpkin I think. Still in the very early planning stage and given that I'm a libran and prone to changing my mind ..............

[wormlady]

A bloke on my site grew water melons outdoors last year despite the total lack of sun. I dont know if he started them indoors or what variety they were but they were definietly water melons, very big, dark green and a few had stipes on them and they were rambling around all over the place.

[Cutecumber]

Wow! I didn't think that was possible in the UK.

Are you sure they weren't squash?

[moggssue]

I was only on my allotment plots very occasionally last year (didnt have the lottie then!) but I'm sure there were a couple of melons being grown outside, maybe all the rain helped plump them up?

[fivespud364]

If your very clever and do what Carol Klein did last year You can plant you sweet corn have the Climbing french beans using the sweet corn to climb up and then plant out your melons and let them ramble between (she used sqaushes/pumpkins to ramble between) it seemed to work really well although Melons are better under cover if you want a really good crop

[moggssue]

Wont the sweetcorn block the sunshine from the melons? I was thinking of putting them in the sunniest corner of the plot, but I do like your idea fivespud364 - and it saves on building a support for the beans and sounds like a pretty display too

[Cutecumber]

It is possible to grow ordinary melons outside in sheltered sunny conditions but watermelons need more heat. Considering last year's summer... I wonder

Growing beans up sweetcorn works to a point, but the beans (even french ones) will want to go higher than most sweetcorn plants. Mine went crazy and romped all over the place. A few tall stakes amongst the sweetcorn would help - and if the winds are strong it gives you something to tie them too, as well. There was too much shade on my sweetcorn/ bean plot for anything much to grow under or between them. If you can space the plants out more it might be more conducive to a third crop.

[moggssue]

Do the sweetcorn and beans (and melons??) give each other help - nutrients or the like? Or is it just a supportive marriage to use up space more efficiently?

If the latter, I may well keep them separate, after all I have the space now so the beans can stay with the other legumes.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Personally, I'd keep them separate, Moggssue - although the three sisters thingy sounds a good move, you must remember that you'll find it difficult (or virtually impossible!) to pick the beans or sweetcorn until the end of the season.

So ok if you want the beans and corn for drying, not so clever otherwise.