Topic: sweetcorn as canes?

[mummybunny]

Hi all

I have just watched 'Grow your own veg' and they used a system called the 3 sisters! sweetcorn squash and runner beans all grown on the same patch. The runners grew up the sweetcorn so no need for canes.

My question is can you use sweetcorn as canes for other vegs like green beans and peas?

Sorry if its a daft question im new to this growing game  ;D

Thanks lucy

[Lauren S]

No such thing as a daft question  ;)

I did a *Three Sisters Bed* this year and I grew climbing French beans up my sweetcorn. Worked out well.

[saddad]

Don't think they would work for peas, not enough small bits for the tendrils to get hold of, but any beans that twine around the uprights would be OK.
 :-\

[redimp]

The only time I tried it, the Blue Lake pulled the sweetcorn down to the ground.  Now I intersperse with bush beans.

[mummybunny]

Hi

Thanks for all the replies. Will plant green beans and sweetcorn together then peas seperate. Any good tips on a suitable pea support?

Thanks again

lucy

[Robert_Brenchley]

I use wigwams of 8-foot bamboos (I grow the old-fashioned tall peas) with lots of string wound round to gve them something to cling on to. I don't have a pic since my main computer is out of action, and I only have a laptop.

[Barnowl]

I think quite a few people stick to just "two sisters" - being sweetcorn and squash. The reason being that unless you're planning leave the beans to dry in their pods, their harvest doesn't coincide with the sweetcorn.

[lottie lou]

First saw the three sisters method when I was travelling round China.  Looked great.  They grew sweetcorn, sunflowers and sqashes down the mountain.  Looked great so I tried it but never got anything off the beans.

[KathrynH]

I'm tempted to give it a try but do you have to feed the soil heavily to keep all 3 going?

[cacran]

I tried it this year. My sweetcorn and pumpkins did great. My climbing beans were not as good as the ones I grew up frames.

[mummybunny]

Hi,

Thanks for all the replies. Think i may just grow the beans on frames instead! Really looking forward to getting it all going now counting down the months lol.

Lucy

[manicscousers]

we grew baby pumpkins through the sunflowers, they both did well, the pumpkin especially , far better than the ones growing over a trellis  :)

[Bean_Queen]

I tried it.  Didn't work.  The beans grew faster and taller than the sweetcorn.
I still grow squash under my corn though, that works well.

[thegreatgardener]

I remember when someone 3 sisters on"grow own" posted about this 2 years or is 1 year ago on several other message board. I have used the method successful several years.

The solution for problems listed by some posters gave me a bit of pause.
Because the reason for the failures is simple last of understanding of goals of method, it limitations and how to do it properly.

I will describe how overcome all aforementioned problems and there solutions so to do the method correctly. With in it's bounds.

Sometime later today.

[Bill Door]

Did I miss something?  Or have I got the wrong later?

Bill

[kt.]

The reason being that unless you're planning leave the beans to dry in their pods, their harvest doesn't coincide with the sweetcorn.

I have not done the 2 or 3 sisters method but just wondered - As sweetcorn does not harvest until late August but you can get french beans that are ready for harvest in June or early July,  would these not be suited to climbing the sweetcorn?   ???

[thegreatgardener]

sorry for the delay but I was working on other matters.

First the problems listed.
1. would it work with peas.
yes but during it is problem since the peas plant would be to big. before it was warm enough to plant the corn.
2 would  it work with green bean
yes it will but you need to either use bush beans or plant the climbing beans  late so the corn plants are big enough to support beans.
3. as for the corn ears being pull off by the beans.
6you need to keep track of beans to prevent this and not plant to densely,
4. this method was originally  used to grow beans for drying and corn for flour.
5. the squash used should be a bush variety and winter squash variety
so that the harvest happen after the squash has died down and the corn and beans have dried out.

Looks like that  answered all questions.