Your 2026 Garden

[pollipazzi]

This very agile cat runs the top of our 6' wood fence, jumps down, does business, jumps back up & runs the fence line again. I guess the big raised bed looks like the perfect litter box.

you can put sticks or those bar b q skewers (point side down so you don't hurt yourself!) in the empty spaces between the plants. every couple of inches. the cats won't jump in there so they won't get hurt either. it has definitely helped me in that situation. my neighbour thought i was being mean to the cats, but they really will just avoid it like they wouldn't go where big plants are growing.

 

[fuzzi]

you can put sticks or those bar b q skewers (point side down so you don't hurt yourself!) in the empty spaces between the plants. every couple of inches. the cats won't jump in there so they won't get hurt either. it has definitely helped me in that situation. my neighbour thought i was being mean to the cats, but they really will just avoid it like they wouldn't go where big plants are growing.

A friend of mine planted plastic forks around her gardens, points up. She said it worked well to discourage cats.

 

[jxp]

Corn is pollinated by wind, so plant the corn close. Use short rows, and interplant with pole beans, so they climb the stalks. Some people plant squash around the corn as well.

This is known as the three sisters method. From experience I can tell you to not use it for sweet corn and don't plant either the beans or squash until after the corn stalks are at least 10 inches or 25 cm tall. The squash will shade the corn and your germination will be diminished. The beans will look for something to climb soon after sprouting and need those stalks to be available. They will wind their way very tightly around whatever they're climbing and it becomes almost impossible to harvest the corn at a fresh eating stage. This is why the planting method is best reserved for corn that is meant to be left on the plant and made into cornmeal, masa, or hominy.

Bit of wisdom that my Grandpa taught me is that you should choose a squash or pumpkin with prickly stems so as to deter raccoons and squirrels from entering your patch and trying to climb the cornstalks.

 

[jxp]

I tried to grow corn last year here. Not again. Stalks grew, but as the ears were forming they developed bugs that ate almost all the kernels. I threw them towards the chickens. I figured they could eat the bugs. Betty really likes bugs & pulling earthworms out of the ground.

Betty sounds like a keeper! Good girl, Betty.

 

[dirkandlorie]

This is known as the three sisters method. From experience I can tell you to not use it for sweet corn and don't plant either the beans or squash until after the corn stalks are at least 10 inches or 25 cm tall. The squash will shade the corn and your germination will be diminished. The beans will look for something to climb soon after sprouting and need those stalks to be available. They will wind their way very tightly around whatever they're climbing and it becomes almost impossible to harvest the corn at a fresh eating stage. This is why the planting method is best reserved for corn that is meant to be left on the plant and made into cornmeal, masa, or hominy.

Bit of wisdom that my Grandpa taught me is that you should choose a squash or pumpkin with prickly stems so as to deter raccoons and squirrels from entering your patch and trying to climb the cornstalks.

Thank you, and its the super sweet corn that I'm after.