Three Sisters Query

[crazy_red]

Very useful talent when you've only written 500 words of a 5,000 word report and it's due in tomorrow..

Just write your thesis title on the back of a tenner and post with sae to .....

[BrideXIII]

ME .....address available on the interweb

[crazy_red]

OK Bride, seeing as it's Xmas, how about a 50 / 50 split?

Or they could just send cake and booze......

[gridgardener]

correct terms to describe three sisters

multidimensional companion planting or multidimensional polycropping

[lynda66]

i did try growing beans and sweetcorn together ...... unfortunately my only 2 corn plants that grew, only got to about 2 foot tall, and the 2 bean plants just died ....... i did grow the squashes and courgettes and pumpkins ... upwards up sticks though, which worked very well.

[crazy_red]

multidimensional companion planting or multidimensional polycropping

Lol, certainly more concise than my effort.

That is soooooooo kewl - didn't know about the multi-dimensional usage, gonna go try it now in some of my alternate realities.....

'Penfold, open a quantum singularity........'

'Bride, if I'm not back by yesterday, you've got three theses to write.......don't eat all the cake'

Red x

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Okay, question for you all. If I use "Ashworth" Sweetcorn (grows to about 4 feet tall), could I plant dwarf beans - Minidor, perhaps? And as I detest squashes, courgettes etc could I plant cucumbers instead of the squashes

[Paulottie]

I don't think you've quite grasped the principle here; The advantage of underplanting with harvest once crops. butternuts etc. with something like borlotti beans rather than courgettes, cucumbers or the sort of french/runner beans you need to pick young and often is not having to disturb it all.

I've not grown minador but a dwarf french will probably just be shaded out. I'm sure you could grow some ridge cukes near the edge where you can get to them. Certainly don't bother with squashes if you don't like them.

I raise everything in pots so ill get the sweetcorn growing then a month or so later the beans go in with the butternuts. Leave a spot in the centre with a deep hole filled with straw compost etc for a reservoir (it is also handy to invert a bottle by them to aid later watering ) Then, a fortnight later, feed and apply a grassclipping mulch... which they all love.

The beans fix nitrogen to feed the others the sweetcorn provides ample support and the squashes shade out weeds and keep it all cool and damp at the roots. It really does work and save space with good timing and a little practise.

I don't always do this anymore ...especially as I have two allotments and a veg Garden at home...i'm not really too pushed for space!

[RedThorn]

Even if I don't get many beans, I'd still plant some cos then you get the advantage of the nitrogen added to the soil which will be good for the other crops.

I have to agree with you Alison, Cheaper and healthier fertiliser with the addition of some beans at the end. I cannot think of any other feriliser that tastes so nice