4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[little chickadee]

Hi - I remember reading somewhere about planting sweetcorn and beans in the same hole so that the beans use the sweetcorn for support. Has anyone done this, and what kind of beans did you use? I've got climbing french bean seeds, but I'm guessing that they will grow too tall for this?

 

Many thanks in advance

[ubereglu]

Yes you can do this. You also add in squashes too and this is called a three sister bed.

 

I've now planted mine up however I planted the beans up against a bamboo cane next to a sweetcorn plant as the beans grow faster than the sweetcorn. I hope this helps!

[Cooks]

yes I read this somewhere, about this method being used for years by ... hmm my memory fails me, I think it was some native tribe but I might be wrong. They heaped up the soil and planted the 1st beans then after a week I believe pulled up more soil and planted the sweetcorn and then after they were established a bit planted another... I will have to find where I read that!!!

 

I am thinking it might be in this book Christian told me to get which I've read through

[Christian]

As ubereglu said it is the 3 sisters bed. Apparently used by native Americans. The beans use the sweetcorn for support and provide it with nitrogen from the roots and the pumpkin/squash grows around the base preserving water and suppressing weeds.

 

I am using the same system this year!

[little chickadee]

What kind of beans though?

[fluffymuppet]

The traditional 3 Sisters would be climbing French beans. It would probably work with runners, but they tend to be much taller.

[little chickadee]

Cheers

[ubereglu]

I've used runners, hence the need for extra poles!

[Tara.F]

I'm trying cucumbers instead of beans this year on a few of my sweetcorn

[chickencam]

We have done cucumbers before and that does work.

[Valkyrie]

For authentic native American beans look for Cherokee Trail of Tears. HDRA do it in their Heritage Library. They are quite nice - used for fresh and drying. I tried them up the sweetcorn last year, but sweetcorn was rubbish, so not good for the beans. I've gone back to poles for my beans this year and doing a new experiment with sweetcorn instead, so far all looking good.