Beans and sweetcorn and Square foot gardening

[brumbird]

Hello folks

I have raised too many peas and beans and am.wondering now whether i would be pushing my luck to try and grow beans up my sweetcorn on a sfg plot? Sfg guidance i saw said 4 corn per square but if i did 2, could i put a few beans in with them?

[Bigmallly]

I'd be tempted to put 1 Sweetcorn & 1 or 2 Beans in each square.

[Jay-ell]

Or you could plant the sweetcorn at 4 per square then use the other half of the squares for beans at 8 per square (the middle 2 line of a 16 per square with canes/trellis taking up the rest.

From what I've read about the 3 sisters method the corn would be a variety that dried on the plant rather than sweetcorn so would be harvested at the end of the year with the beans (which were also allowed to dry on the vine).

[brumbird]

Ive got 18 corn and 9 squares to play with, so i could plant 4 per square and use the other space separately for the beans. Is 18 plants enough for pollination?

[Scoot]

Ive got 18 corn and 9 squares to play with, so i could plant 4 per square and use the other space separately for the beans. Is 18 plants enough for pollination?

I hope so as I'm only growing 9.

[Bigmallly]

Have you grown Sweetcorn before?...............6" is far too close IMHO.

[brumbird]

No i havent - how close do you plant?

[Bigmallly]

Advice is 18" but I used to plant them 12" apart in a block which is why I suggested 1 per square.

[brumbird]

Well then i definitely have too many! They might not all make it so i guess it may work out in the end

[Jay-ell]

Pin netting to your shed other prop canes around it and let them ramble over it.

[SusieG]

Advice is 18" but I used to plant them 12" apart in a block which is why I suggested 1 per square.

I'm still planning my SFG beds, and just want to make sure: sweet corn - 1 plant per square?
I have 15 plants ... Will be planting into a 21 square bed. These I understand, need to be planted in 'blocks' for them to fertilise each other ...
I'm also doing dwarf French beans - would they be suitable to plant into the remaining 6 squares (at 4 per square)?

Thanks ....

[Martin H]

I don't do SFG, but I planted my 15 sweet corn plants in a 3 x 5 grid, one foot apart each way, so one per square foot.

I plant my dwarf French beans about 9 inches apart, giving them lots of space; but they should crop fine at 6 inch spacings.

Good luck and watch out for the blackfly on the beans ... they ruined my crop last year!

[SusieG]

I don't do SFG, but I planted my 15 sweet corn plants in a 3 x 5 grid, one foot apart each way, so one per square foot.

I plant my dwarf French beans about 9 inches apart, giving them lots of space; but they should crop fine at 6 inch spacings.

Good luck and watch out for the blackfly on the beans ... they ruined my crop last year!

Thanks Martin - do you stake each sweet corn plant?
And: do DFB need any support?

Do you use anything like soap spray against black fly - and is it effective?

[Martin H]

Thanks Martin - do you stake each sweet corn plant?
And: do DFB need any support?

Do you use anything like soap spray against black fly - and is it effective?

I don't stake the sweetcorn at all. The plot is reasonably sheltered and corn is surprisingly sturdy once it's settled in.

DFB don't need any support. At least the variety I grow doesn't. It makes sturdy plants about a foot high.

I haven't tried the soapy solution. I usually rely on squishing them between my fingers, but last year my fingers weren't working properly! My fingers are ok this year so back to squishing when I first see them.

[SusieG]

Thanks for your advice, Martin - most useful! It just gives me a better idea of how to plan everything out and to see it all better in my mind's eye.
Oh yes - happy squishing ....!!!