Three Sisters

[Christine B]

I was watching the Carole Kline Grow Your Own Veg show a couple of weeks ago and she planted sweetcorn, beans & something else in the same bed and called them the three sisters - Did anyone else see this show and can they remember what the third sister was? I would like to have a go at this on my plot.

[acrylicspud]

I was trying to remember as well i think it's courgette ? although I wasn't certain about what to plant where (in a circle?) and how much gap to leave. The programme suggested that sweetcorn would provide a support for the beans as well....

[Christine B]

Yes, I think it was sweetcorn at the back with beans in front and then the courgettes in front. Cougettes sounds about right, but I wasn't sure. Thanks.

[Johnboy]

Hi Christine,
I have recorded the entire series but have only viewed three so far so if you can tell me which week it was I can easily tell you for sure.
JB.

[Christine B]

Not sure of the week exactly, I think it was the last one? Not last Friday, but the Friday before.

[alan refail]

Hi CB

Three Sisters info:-

Vida Verde (now www.realseeds.co.uk) offered Three Sisters until 2004. Here is an extract from that year's catalogue:

"American Indians grew beans, squash and corn (the '3 sisters') all together - in theory the beans climb the corn, so no need for poles, and the squash shade the roots, keeping in moisture. This has been widely discussed in gardening magazines recently, and we have been researching it for several years. Here we have a special pack, complete with notes and instructions, to try out yourself:
36 seeds of "Martian Purple" sweetcorn
36 seeds of "Azada" cornfield bean
5 seeds of "Futsu Black" pumpkin."

I did try this and it was moderately successful. The corn was fine, but climbing beans need corn 6 to 8 feet high ("as an elephant's eye") so were a failure. The corn was great, as were the small pumpkins beneath.
I think the secret is to get the tallest corn you can and sow early in pots indoors. Sow a small variety of squash (Futsu, Uchiki Kuri, or even Crown Prince) shortly afterwards. Plant out mid-June and at the same time sow the climbing beans in-situ near to the corn plants. As this combination includes corn it is essential to plant in a block, with the corn further apart than if you were growing it alone.
Personally I wouldn't bother trying it with courgettes which have to be picked regularly, unless you want Harvest Festival Marrows.

If you're keen, give it a try.

a link http://www.theorganicreport.com/pages/3 ... f_life.cfm

Cofion gorau - best wishes

Alan

[Christine B]

Thanks for that Alan. I have a nice square block on my allotment set aside for the sweetcorn, but thought I might try a few plants in the bed where I was going to put my beans, just as an experiment. Just liked the idea of the plants using & helping each other out more than anything

[alan refail]

S'mae CB
Mae'n braf gweld rhywun arall yng Nghymru sy'n tyfu llysiau.
It's great to see someone else in Wales growing vegetables.
We don't have enough Welsh members of the forum, or enough people (here in the North) growing much. Come on, prove me wrong

Alan

[Christine B]

I'm trying Alan, although I'm afraid I'm not actually Welsh! Although do have some Welsh blood in me! I do agree we need more people growing veg though and I am currently trying to do something about that on the allotment site I have a plot on by becoming site manager. Currently I think there are only three plots worked out of a possible 50! I know I only ever see two other people down there and I haven't seen them for ages.

[alan refail]

I'm not Welsh either Christine bach, ond mae pawb yma'n siarad Cymraeg (it's Welsh or nothing here ). It really is sad to see such little interest in vegetable growing.
Sorry everyone else, I'm changing the thread.

Alan

[Jenny Green]

I've tried this before too. I grew Uchiki Kuri, sweetcorn and climbing french beans for drying (it would be a bit hard to get in amongst it all for regular picking of beans when the pumpkin's got going). I think I sowed the beans next to the sweetcorn plants when I planted them out at about 2" high. I thought the beans would swamp the sweetcorn if I sowed them together.
The beans didn't do particularly well, but the sweetcorn and pumpkins were fine. The pumpkins do a great job of shading out weeds. I think I spaced the sweetcorn at about 3' apart and put in about 1 pumpkin for every 6 sweetcorn.

[alan refail]

Just what I did, Jenny. It is a problem picking the beans.

Alan

[Christine B]

Thanks Jenny & Alan - Nice to know someone else has tried this and the results!

[Malk]

I grow sweetcorn and pumpkins together every years, haven't tried the beans though. The pumpkins use up so much ground it helps if you can put another crop in with it as well. Courgettes would work the same, though they are usually compact growing rather than taking over the world like pumpkins.

[sally wright]

Dear All,
instead of growing beans which need picking fresh put in a drying bean such as hutterite soup or borlotti. If you still need green beans just grow them round the outside of the bed, ditto courgettes.
Regards Sally Wright.
Don't think of problems, think of soloutions.