Ambitious certified black thumb- I’m in over my head SOS pls send help

[campingshaws]

Agreed with Cap on the popcorn.

As for 3 sisters, I've not had good luck with it b/c I tend to plant too close, and the beans need to be harvested daily. When native Americans did 3 sisters, all 3 crops were planted then left to mature. Nothing was harvested until fall, at which time it was all harvested at pretty much the same time. IMO, 3 sisters is a good idea, if you can follow that harvest schedule. But it's not as sensible if you are planting beans and corn which are harvested at the succulent stage, instead of being left to completely mature.

One BYC member was talking about planting field corn and sunflowers as a green manure/chook friendly crop. That idea bears much promise.

Radish: I never dedicate space for them. I use them liberally as row markers. Every time I plant a row or bed, I put some radish seed in. They sprout early, to let me know where something is planted, and I can harvest them every where I go. My favorite variety is French Breakfast. Very mild! I like to slice them vertically, and smear them with peanut butter.

Laundry detergent. Our water is crappy. Hard, and high in Manganese and Sulphur. A lot of brown stains in my tub/sinks. I add a tiny bit of Melaleuca Solumel to my home made detergent, and use dryer sheets. IMO, the home made is better than any detergents I've bought. The Melaleuca is pricey, But a single bottle of it will last about 2 years at the rate I use it. You could most likely add a bit of pine sol or some other laundry booster that would do the same thing. If you're happy with purchased detergent, than that's what you should go with!

Thanks for the great info! The article I read on three sisters said to plant corn and squash at the same time, and then plant the beans a few weeks later. From what you’ve said I think the popcorn would work better for three sisters. So I’ll put popcorn, sunflowers, squash, and beans in a patch at the chicken coop. It gets foot traffic twice a day all summer, so easy for kids to harvest frequently enough (if I’m understanding what issue you had). We have 30-90 kids every week from June to August, ranging in age from 5-19. The more there is to pick, the better!

I also plant everything too close, and I planted my carrots and radishes here and there all over. I’ve never grown a radish but I try every year because they are DD’s favorite snack. Judging by how many kids ate basil straight from the plant, they should also like radishes. I can’t eat basil off the plant because it burns my mouth. I love spicy food and hot peppers, but I always end up spitting the basil out. h

Back to corn: I’ll plant the sweet corn and more sunflowers near the rest of the garden, about 1/4 mile from the chickens. Should be far enough?

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks for the great info! The article I read on three sisters said to plant corn and squash at the same time, and then plant the beans a few weeks later. From what you’ve said I think the popcorn would work better for three sisters. So I’ll put popcorn, sunflowers, squash, and beans in a patch at the chicken coop. It gets foot traffic twice a day all summer, so easy for kids to harvest frequently enough (if I’m understanding what issue you had). We have 30-90 kids every week from June to August, ranging in age from 5-19. The more there is to pick, the better!

I also plant everything too close, and I planted my carrots and radishes here and there all over. I’ve never grown a radish but I try every year because they are DD’s favorite snack. Judging by how many kids ate basil straight from the plant, they should also like radishes. I can’t eat basil off the plant because it burns my mouth. I love spicy food and hot peppers, but I always end up spitting the basil out. h

Back to corn: I’ll plant the sweet corn and more sunflowers near the rest of the garden, about 1/4 mile from the chickens. Should be far enough?

The issue I had with 3 sisters was that the squash took over the whole plot, so I couldn't get in to harvest the beans without trampling the squash vines, or being attacked by them.

You might try planting a different variety of basil. Perhaps the lettuce leaf, or giant leaf variety. I find it to be very mild, One of my favorite summer sandwiches is toasted cheese and tomato with basil. I put basil in every sandwich I eat during the summer if it's available.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

I’ve spent the last two hours watching AntMan and organizing my seeds by type and companions.

For the corn I want to try the three sisters method (plus sunflowers) but the only bean seeds I have are bush type. I’m up to roughly $75 in seeds and plant starts/roots, so I really shouldn’t buy anymore... hence the title of my first note page.

I think I’m going to have bed a for strawberries and lettuces, then bed b for broccoli and cabbages. The charts say don’t plant together, does that only apply to sharing soil or does it go by proximity? Everything else I’m going to put in the ground or in containers.
View attachment 1262617 View attachment 1262618

They actually recommend not growing broccoli & cabbage close because of the pest problem. If one gets cabbage worms then they both will.

 

[lazy gardener]

On the other hand, you're likely to have cabbage worms no matter where you plant these crops. Putting the 2 crops together makes it possible to cover both with an agribon fabric or other netting to keep the cabbage butterflies off the plants. Or if you go the BT or other insecticide route, you can spray both crops at the same time.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Thanks for the great info! The article I read on three sisters said to plant corn and squash at the same time, and then plant the beans a few weeks later. From what you’ve said I think the popcorn would work better for three sisters. So I’ll put popcorn, sunflowers, squash, and beans in a patch at the chicken coop. It gets foot traffic twice a day all summer, so easy for kids to harvest frequently enough (if I’m understanding what issue you had). We have 30-90 kids every week from June to August, ranging in age from 5-19. The more there is to pick, the better!

I also plant everything too close, and I planted my carrots and radishes here and there all over. I’ve never grown a radish but I try every year because they are DD’s favorite snack. Judging by how many kids ate basil straight from the plant, they should also like radishes. I can’t eat basil off the plant because it burns my mouth. I love spicy food and hot peppers, but I always end up spitting the basil out. h

Back to corn: I’ll plant the sweet corn and more sunflowers near the rest of the garden, about 1/4 mile from the chickens. Should be far enough?

I actually had trouble with planting squash next to my corn. Of course hubs planted the corn rows too close, so once the squash starting climbing the corn it was a nightmare to try to pick the corn.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

On the other hand, you're likely to have cabbage worms no matter where you plant these crops. Putting the 2 crops together makes it possible to cover both with an agribon fabric or other netting to keep the cabbage butterflies off the plants. Or if you go the BT or other insecticide route, you can spray both crops at the same time.

Good advice!

 

[lazy gardener]

I picked up some super long swag sheers at the good will store last summer. Plan on using those. They should last a very long time.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

I picked up some super long swag sheers at the good will store last summer. Plan on using those. They should last a very long time.

That's a good idea, had cabbage worms so bad last year & hate having to use pesticide.

 

[campingshaws]

The issue I had with 3 sisters was that the squash took over the whole plot, so I couldn't get in to harvest the beans without trampling the squash vines, or being attacked by them.

You might try planting a different variety of basil. Perhaps the lettuce leaf, or giant leaf variety. I find it to be very mild, One of my favorite summer sandwiches is toasted cheese and tomato with basil. I put basil in every sandwich I eat during the summer if it's available.

I had purple and sweet. I made tons of caprese skewers (basil, mozzarella, cherry tomato on a toothpick drizzled with basalmic vinegar) and that was fine. Maybe it’s a mental thing.

They actually recommend not growing broccoli & cabbage close because of the pest problem. If one gets cabbage worms then they both will.

One of my companion charts said that marigolds repel cabbage moths and tomatoes repel cabbage worms. Does that sound right?

 

[lazy gardener]

I also hate using insecticide. BT is perfectly safe, but it's expensive. I don't want to put any insecticide on any part of the plant that I'll be eating. I'll put it on squash leaves, but it won't be put on the fruit. I won't put it on greens like lettuce and spinach. Thankfully, slugs are usually the only issue I have with greens, and Sluggo is perfectly safe to use for those issues.