Topic: Sweet Corn & Sunflowers

[Lottie Lady 2]

Hi everyone - need to pick your brains again please !  I was thinking about growing my sweetcorn alongside or amongst Sunflowers - I have looked on my companion planting chart and there is no mention of Sunflowers at all - Good or Bad Idea????

Many thanks

LL2 x

[Rose.mary]

Sunflowers between sweet corn is recommended by Joy Larkom in her Creative Gardening also nasturtiums. I am going to grow them myself this year just to see what they look like

Rosemary

[Lottie Lady 2]

That's great!!  Thank you for your quick reply Rosemary :) 

LL2x

[SMP1704]

I have a plan to grow sunflowers alongside the sweetcorn, a bit like a flowering fence.  I was also thinking about growing french beans up the sunflowers, but still thinking about that one..........not sure about space.

[Curryandchips]

I will be growing my sweetcorn following the 'three sisters' method, ie also growing squash among the corn, and climbing beans up them too. Apparently there is a symbiotic relationship (?) which benefits everything?

I grew sweetcorn in with the squash last year and they seemed very happy.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I grow squashes among my corn, and that works well, but I've never added beans. the corn I grow isn't massive, and I've always worried about root disturbance if I was pulling at beans that were climbing over it.

[Gadfium]

I've read that you can grow climbing beans very successfully up big sunflowers - with the proviso that you get the sunflowers in the ground and established first, then, shove a bean plant (or two) near the base of the sunflower (4" away) and let them get on with it.

(from John Yeoman's 'The Lazy Kitchen Gardener')

... going along the same lines, it should be possible to stick bean seeds - instead of raised plants - direct around the base of the sunflower, or perhaps sweet peas or climbing nasturtians?

I've just read about this, so last weeekend I went in search of giant sunflower seeds -  nearly all sold out! - which are now in modules. Also got mixed climbing nasturtian seed, and will also try some Cherokee 'Trail of Tears' climbing french beans up the sunflowers. Hopefully I haven't been too late in starting the sunflowers off...

I've also got a big sack of bird feed in the garage, lots of sunflower seeds in amongst that lot... anyone know what type of sunflowers are likely to result from trying to germinate a few of these?

[angle shades]

:) I've grown squashes under sweetcorn and runner and climbing french  beans up sunflowers, as long as the sunflowers are tall and strong the beans grow fine and both ways are good space savers no matter how big or small your plot is.

The three sisters is another good way of saving space but in my humble opinion you need good fertile ground to start off with , the sweetcorn provides the stakes,the beans the nitrogen for both of them and the squash provides shade and moisture for the roots, i found the squash was a tad greedy with the moisture part of the deal ;D ;D ;D/angle shades x

[alit]

If you grow sun flowers with sweetcorn does it not disrupt the wind polination process for the sweetcorn.  As you have to plant in blocks i wondered if the sunflowers would stop some of the pollen reaching the sweetcorn.  Do you still get a good sweetcorn yield.

I will grow squash around the sweetcorn this year for the root shade.  Good idea.

[Curryandchips]

I've always worried about root disturbance if I was pulling at beans ...

Valid comment Robert, I am considering either harvesting with secateurs, or else only growing climbing haricot beans up the corn, which should be ok to harvest after the corn ...

[Meg]

I tried the beans with the sweetcorn and courgettes year before last and that  worked ok. I put plastic bottles in centre with end cut of so that I could pour the water on the roots. Then last year I thought why did I do that as I have such a big lottie any way. Of course this year really in the swing and just don't know where I shall fit all the stuff in I want to!! So think I shall go back to that idea again plus putting them on a load of muck too!!!!

[mike_w]

I grew beans up my sunflowers last year but the ones close up against the sunflowers were stunted whereas those I planted further away and allowed to grow diagonally along string to the stems did far better. I suspect competition for water so if you are going to try to plant the beans close by then water copiously. I assume that will involve watering cans for most of us this year!  :(

[littlegem]

If you do the 3 sister method, how do you earth up the sweetcorn to stop it falling over? As you know, the roots start coming out the ground with the corn (well mine did) and you need to earth up. does the squash allow for this not to be done, ie, making shade. then how do you stop it them from toppling? especially if they've got the weight of the climbing beens round them aswell!

[Jesse]

Hi everyone - need to pick your brains again please !  I was thinking about growing my sweetcorn alongside or amongst Sunflowers - I have looked on my companion planting chart and there is no mention of Sunflowers at all - Good or Bad Idea????

Many thanks

LL2 x

Hi Lottie, sunflowers will grow well with your sweetcorn, squashes and pumpkins :)

[Lottie Lady 2]

Thanks everyone for your replies -  does sweetcorn always topple over as Littlegem's did? ???  When I took over my lottie last year the previous tenant grew sweetcorn and I had trouble digging  up the roots - I didn't notice any earthing up - but then it was waist high in weeds. ;)

LL2 x

[Curryandchips]

Someone mentioned that they always earth up their sweetcorn, even although they don't grow beans up them, I think it was jennym. The method was claimed to develop better fruit. I will see if I can do that with mine this year, remembering that I will have beans near the base of the corn too.

[angle shades]

:) I'm sorry but i've never heard of sweetcorn falling over, my plot is VERY exposed
 and i dont earth sweetcorn up , your beans and squash will be fine , picking beans is also ok, you won't pull the plants up, beans have tubers like dahlias so they are strong, I'm still trying to dig my sweetcorn up from last year, its hard work
 ;D/angle shades x

[Jesse]

I didn't earth up, our plot gets very windy and I grew beans up my corn and none of them toppled over. :)