Spent the day almost finishing up the garden. I think we had our hot summer a couple weeks ago and dove right into fall....boy it's cold...
Found out my big garden expansion wasn't big enough. Probably didn't help I had way more taters to plant than I planned on, planted them a few weeks ago.
I stopped at Frog Pond in Bainbridge and bought a half pound of golden bantam sweet corn (Page's seeds out of Greene NY) for $7.25. Planned on only planting half and saving the rest for next yr, didn't look like that many seeds so I pre-soaked them all, big mistake, had to continue making rows, OMG! we're going to be up to our ears in corn....
Planted it all with kidney beans and great northern beans coated in inoculant, should give the corn a good natural dose of nitrogen. First time trying this, let you all know if it helps.
Years ago my father-in-law talked me into planting pumpkins with my sweet corn, Native Americans did this cause the big pumpkin or squash leaves keep the weeds from growing helping out the corn. Worked GREAT!!! no weeding, both corn and pumpkins grew unbelievable great.
Then came time for harvesting the corn....not cool...pumpkin vines all over the place, even hanging from the corn...it was difficult work trying not to damage the vines that still needed more time, corn was early, NOT trying that again...
The Iroquois believe corn, beans and squash are precious gifts from the Great Spirit, each watched over by one of three sisters spirits, called the De-o-ha-ko, or Our Sustainers, and planted them together.
"Corn provides a natural pole for bean vines to climb. Beans fix nitrogen on their roots, improving the overall fertility of the plot by providing nitrogen to the following years corn. Bean vines also help stabilize the corn plants, making them less vulnerable to blowing over in the wind. Shallow-rooted squash vines become a living mulch, shading emerging weeds and preventing soil moisture from evaporating, thereby improving the overall crops chances of survival in dry years. Spiny squash plants also help discourage predators from approaching the corn and beans. The large amount of crop residue from this planting combination can be incorporated back into the soil at the end of the season, to build up the organic matter and improve its structure."
Found out my big garden expansion wasn't big enough. Probably didn't help I had way more taters to plant than I planned on, planted them a few weeks ago.
I stopped at Frog Pond in Bainbridge and bought a half pound of golden bantam sweet corn (Page's seeds out of Greene NY) for $7.25. Planned on only planting half and saving the rest for next yr, didn't look like that many seeds so I pre-soaked them all, big mistake, had to continue making rows, OMG! we're going to be up to our ears in corn....
Planted it all with kidney beans and great northern beans coated in inoculant, should give the corn a good natural dose of nitrogen. First time trying this, let you all know if it helps.
Years ago my father-in-law talked me into planting pumpkins with my sweet corn, Native Americans did this cause the big pumpkin or squash leaves keep the weeds from growing helping out the corn. Worked GREAT!!! no weeding, both corn and pumpkins grew unbelievable great.
Then came time for harvesting the corn....not cool...pumpkin vines all over the place, even hanging from the corn...it was difficult work trying not to damage the vines that still needed more time, corn was early, NOT trying that again...
The Iroquois believe corn, beans and squash are precious gifts from the Great Spirit, each watched over by one of three sisters spirits, called the De-o-ha-ko, or Our Sustainers, and planted them together.
"Corn provides a natural pole for bean vines to climb. Beans fix nitrogen on their roots, improving the overall fertility of the plot by providing nitrogen to the following years corn. Bean vines also help stabilize the corn plants, making them less vulnerable to blowing over in the wind. Shallow-rooted squash vines become a living mulch, shading emerging weeds and preventing soil moisture from evaporating, thereby improving the overall crops chances of survival in dry years. Spiny squash plants also help discourage predators from approaching the corn and beans. The large amount of crop residue from this planting combination can be incorporated back into the soil at the end of the season, to build up the organic matter and improve its structure."
