THREE SISTERS

[Fluffnpuff]

How large are your plots??

I have no idea. Like literally my brain cannot estimate distance visually. It's like i have geometric dyslexia. I'll post pictures of my three plots i had this year so you can estimate the size. These pics were from early summer.


This is what i consider my main garden. It's strickly 3 sisters with zero artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides.



This is a smaller plot that i use quick maturing crops like summer squash, zucchini, greens, and radishes. I don't do strickly organic in this one. While no pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides i do use triple 15 as fertilizer.




The 3rd plot is at my father's house. I posted the picture of it earlier in this thread to show the extreme height of the bloody butcher. I plant the dent corn i use for cornmeal at his house to completely eliminate the possibility of it crossing with my sweet corn. In totality is about the same size as my 3 sisters plot but i only used a smaller portion of it this year.


This last little area is where i plant sunflowers just for aesthetic reasons.

 

[Chipper Chicken]

This is just incredible firsthand knowledge you are sharing with us! :yiipchick thank you! I for one will try to plant those 4 next year! And the painted mountain for the birds too.
It sounds like you don't have a problem with isolating sweet corn to prevent cross pollinating and affecting the taste. I suppose to be safe for seed purity it's still a good idea to keep some distance between them tho. Do you save or buy new every year?

 

[Arielle]

Quote:

You have many gardens that are BIG!!! lol

Sunflowers are area as cheery as marigolds!! I envy that you can use a tiller--I'm on rocky NEw England soils with out any years of cropping, unless you count the stones. lol

 

[Fluffnpuff]

This is just incredible firsthand knowledge you are sharing with us!

thank you! I for one will try to plant those 4 next year! And the painted mountain for the birds too.

It sounds like you don't have a problem with isolating sweet corn to prevent cross pollinating and affecting the taste. I suppose to be safe for seed purity it's still a good idea to keep some distance between them tho. Do you save or buy new every year?

I don't mind if sweet corn crosses with another sweet corn and i don't mind if one dent corn crosses with a different dent corn. The only thing i avoid at all costs is a sweet corn crossing with a dent corn. That's why i plant my dent corn at a different location from my regular 3 sisters.

I don't save seed I keep meaning to but at the end of summer i'm so tired of fooling with plants that my enthusiasm wilts. I don't save seed on squash, winter squash, and pumpkins because generally i try new varieties every year. I can't stay married to one type. I've seriously grown around 40 different types.

The corn I really should be saving even though i'd end up with some interesting crosses.

I order new seed in January mostly from baker creek, territorial seeds, and a little from rhshumway.

 

[Papas Chickens]

Well my squash still wont grow maybe I got a bad batch of seeds. Dang wind keeps blowing my corn over.

 

[Chipper Chicken]

I like territorial too, we stopped by their store near Eugene a few years ago, amazing! Usually I can find their seed in the better nurseries, but sometimes I mail order from them. Didn't get anything from them this year, need to for next, they have great seed!
Yea, we'll see how much I get saved this year too!
This year was kinda an experiment anyway,still learning all I can, but it's so hard to pick something from a catalog description for all the aforementioned reasons and be happy with it. Which is why I ask so many questions and very much appreciate you and everybody on this forum taking the time to answer. e

 

[Fluffnpuff]

I started planting cover crops i got from territorial seeds this afternoon. I'm trying their small favas, crimson clover, and mammoth red clover out.

 

[Arielle]

Well my squash still wont grow maybe I got a bad batch of seeds. Dang wind keeps blowing my corn over.

Sorry about the seeds-- Ihave some 3 yr old tomato seed that wont grow, but other varieties just as old that will. Handling of seed is very important for sure.

Can you construct or grow a wind break??

 

[Arielle]

Visited the squash plants today. Lots of flowers, MANY more than 9-10 days ago, but no fruit evident yet. I'm still hoping as these are all summer squashes.

I was smelling the petroeum like odor romt he new water hoses and thought about californias laws on using these for watering . WOuld like an alternative. Thought of the special hosing used for the maple sap run. Any one have ideas on this?? Haved noticed that for squash to produce well, a lot of water regularly is needed.

 

[Chipper Chicken]

I started planting cover crops i got from territorial seeds this afternoon.  I'm trying their small favas, crimson clover, and mammoth red clover out.

Another great idea! DH sez thanks for the reminder, he has a couple bare spots he wants to seed. We're making homemade spaghetti sauce tonight with his organic tomatoes, including one of my favorites - Brandywine! Yum.