A garden question, but not for garden section

[Mtn Laurel]

Corn should grow just fine in a container - but you might want to go for something a little bigger. Have you heard of the 3 sisters method for growing corn/beans/squash? Several corn plants are grown close together with the beans climbing them and the squash providing weed control. Anyway, folks have been doing it for hundreds of years. I would suggest using those plastic 'totes' - they're nice and deep and would give room for maybe 4 or 5 plants... you could even plant them in row!


I DO hope you're going to post pictures of the canon. And - what's with the woods???

I did three sisters last year and I must have done something wrong. I think it was my corn spacing - you can't space them too close. What occurred is that the bean vines would "hop" from stalk to stalk. In doing so, they would pull one stalk towards the other. Next thing I knew, I had corn all twisted and bending over due to the bean vines pulling on them. It was also difficult to harvest the beans or corn without stepping on the squash. A great idea in theory but you can't have the corn plants or the rows too close together for it to be successful.

Might work better in containers but the way that squash runs you'd have to have huge containers and plenty of room between them.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Corn is wind pollinated, therefore it needs a lot of each other in order to produce ears of corn, as Carlye828 mentioned. If you want it to eat the corn, I would suggest using land, but if it's just for fun, sure, use a bucket.

 

[KristyHall]

I did three sisters last year and I must have done something wrong. I think it was my corn spacing - you can't space them too close. What occurred is that the bean vines would "hop" from stalk to stalk. In doing so, they would pull one stalk towards the other. Next thing I knew, I had corn all twisted and bending over due to the bean vines pulling on them. It was also difficult to harvest the beans or corn without stepping on the squash. A great idea in theory but you can't have the corn plants or the rows too close together for it to be successful.

Might work better in containers but the way that squash runs you'd have to have huge containers and plenty of room between them.

Plant beans at least a week after you plant corn to give the corn a head start. Also you need to plant tall strong corn, preferably the kind that gives at least two ears and gets about 7 foot tall, if you are planting vigorous pole beans.

If not get semi bush or semi runner beans other wise the aggressive beans will yank your stalks down.. The squash you plant has to be spaced depending on what you put in. Larger more aggressive squashes like many types of winter squash, pumpkins, cashaw, and gourds can climb up the corn and pull it down if you are not careful, so give it lots of space when you plant it then go out every day and train the long reaching vines to grow around the corn, not up it.

You can plant the semi bush squashes or the smaller bush type or summer squashes closer to the corn. If you are doing the three sisters planting, be sure to space everything out well. I plant a compact squash plant every four corn (which I plant in blocks, with no walkway between the four ears.) If I am planting pumpkins I plant one about every 8. I also give each stalk of corn a lot of space in raised beds (not the kind with wooden sides. They just get in my way) I usually give them about a foot in each direction away from other corn so they have a lot of room to spread their shallow roots out, and discourages the vines of the beans and squash from pulling the stalks down by giving them more room to branch out themselves.

You can also grow other plants among these three but those tend to be a pretty good combo. I sometimes grow spinach and lettuce amid the corn because it likse the shade of the corn plants in our hot southern summers. It does not seem to do as well for me as following the three sisters though.

 

[KristyHall]

Corn is wind pollinated, therefore it needs a lot of each other in order to produce ears of corn, as Carlye828 mentioned. If you want it to eat the corn, I would suggest using land, but if it's just for fun, sure, use a bucket.

The pollen is also relatively heavy, for pollen, which is why corn does better planted in blocks instead of rows. You can encourage ears coming in by walking by everyday and giving the corn a gentle shake to encourage pollen to go flying.

 

[babymakes6]

http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/corn/corn-on-deck-hybrid-prod003168.html

Corn, On Deck Hybrid

The first-ever sweet corn you can grow in a container.
Burpee Exclusive
And now on deck … sweet corn! Ever so tasty breakthrough bicolor variety is perfectly sized—4-5' tall—to spend the summer on your deck, patio, or terrace, adding vertical interest as well as producing two to three delicious 7-8" long ears per stalk. This first-ever container-ready corn is a revolution—one you can enjoy from the comfort of your patio. Simply plant 9 seeds per 24" container and get ready to harvest in about 2 months! Supersweet (Sh2). Special notice: Due to unprecedented customer demand for new “On Deck” Sweet Corn our seed supplies are running very low. To ensure that every interested gardener can buy a packet, we have reduced the seed per pack to 30 seeds and also reduced the price to just $3.95.
Spread: 12-18 inches
Height: 4-5 feet
Thinning: 6 inches
Days to Maturity: 61-63 days
Sowing Method: Direct Sow

 

[oldrooster]

Spook look up details and plans on potato and pumpkin cannons you might be able to make one that looks like a regular cannon and makes a large boom.

 

[Spookwriter]

I know I shouldn't post this...

But my wife and daughter swear I already make a loud
"booming" sound. Especially after some nice soup beans.

To the extent that it became one of those forever jokes about
blowing my pants out...and wouldn't you know it...working out
in the yard one day, I split my pants.

Came running in the house...yelling at Hana that it finally happened.
I had blowed my pants up.

This...to the embarrassent of the Spook has become something that
Hana shares prouldly with her friends.

(Doesn't take a whole lot to make us prould...we've accomlished so little.)

After her heart attack, my wife began to fart...every night when she lays
down. Without fail. And in the morning, about a half hour before she wakes,
she begins a "warm-up" if you will.

(I know it's something she can't help...but that has never stopped me.)

With me and Hana, she has earned the nicname of Boom-Boom. And Hana
and I get into best Boom-Boom lies.

I've seen my wife blow the teddy bear outta the bed...

I've seen her blow the blankents off the bed...

We swear that one echoed. Do it again mom...

My God! You've killed the dog. (dog won't sleep in out bed anymore)


You get the ideal...but in all honestly, although we tease her, I'm glad
she's still here.

 

[oldrooster]

I know I shouldn't post this...

But my wife and daughter swear I already make a loud
"booming" sound. Especially after some nice soup beans.

To the extent that it became one of those forever jokes about
blowing my pants out...and wouldn't you know it...working out
in the yard one day, I split my pants.

Came running in the house...yelling at Hana that it finally happened.
I had blowed my pants up.

This...to the embarrassent of the Spook has become something that
Hana shares prouldly with her friends.

(Doesn't take a whole lot to make us prould...we've accomlished so little.)

After her heart attack, my wife began to fart...every night when she lays
down. Without fail. And in the morning, about a half hour before she wakes,
she begins a "warm-up" if you will.

(I know it's something she can't help...but that has never stopped me.)

With me and Hana, she has earned the nicname of Boom-Boom. And Hana
and I get into best Boom-Boom lies.

I've seen my wife blow the teddy bear outta the bed...

I've seen her blow the blankents off the bed...

We swear that one echoed. Do it again mom...

My God! You've killed the dog. (dog won't sleep in out bed anymore)


You get the ideal...but in all honestly, although we tease her, I'm glad
she's still here.

A woman I know didn't like her daughter and her friends saying the words f@@@ or f@@@ing she told them to day fluffing because they where fluffing their pants.

 

[Spookwriter]

I can understand that...I've always said I'm not fat.

I'm fluffy. (especially after them beans...VERY fluffy)

 

[Bunnylady]

I know a few horses that are fluffy in both of those senses of the word . . . sometimes, you'd think they were blowing up the barn!

And Spook, I am glad that you lady wife has such a good sense of humor . . . and I'm really glad she's still there, too.