another corn question :)

[akyramoto]

I'm getting ready to plant some corn this weekend. so far from what I've read is 'no' on the long rows, I'm planning on doing a corn 'square'. I'm thinking that I should make a little dirt berm around the whole area so I can flood irrigate rather than use a sprinkler

is that a good idea?


I feel like I'm wasting alot of water with using a sprinkler - watering the weeds & not my veggies!!

Ima noob

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

I think it's a great idea. It would definitely help with keep water in. And it's definitely a no on planting in long rows. We keep our corn pretty close, about 6 inches apart on all sides and plant in blocks. Helps with pollination.

Try planting some beans with your corn too, this will help pull nitrogen into the soil. Plant the beans when the corn is about 8 inches high to give it a head start.

 

[Tutter]

Good ideas!

You can also put some decorative little pumpkins in with the corn and beans. Squash family, corn and beans are a classic trio to grow together.

 

[akyramoto]

Good ideas!

You can also put some decorative little pumpkins in with the corn and beans. Squash family, corn and beans are a classic trio to grow together.

thats exactly what my friend said! she said the indians used to grow stuff that way

Can I grow big pumpkins in with the corn?

 

[Tutter]

Absolutely! I just wasn't sure if they'd have time to ripen. Just look for one which ripens in less days than the others, if you have the option.

 

[akyramoto]

Absolutely! I just wasn't sure if they'd have time to ripen. Just look for one which ripens in less days than the others, if you have the option.

awesome.
I can't wait to plant this weekend. I just wish there were more 'cool' hours in the day!!

i love this forum

 

[sht4luck]

corn, bean, squash is a great combo so i hear. if your planting in a plot, the 3 can to up room. if you make a bed wider. say 4-5 ft. by 10-20 ft then you can do a corn patch next to a bean patch and a squash patch. supposedly the roots still help each other and you can still plant close enough to reduce weeds and less water. rotate the patches each year to. just a thought, i have not done this yet myself though. food for thought. ohh...the one thing i was going to say about small square gardens, at least for myself i felt that all the walking paths between the patches were wasting away. just felt i could get more in if i took them out. good luck and happy gardening

 

[akyramoto]

ok - so i def want to do the flood irrigation type system.....

i have a question ( i'm thinking its a dumb one! lol), can I still put mulch around the corn & pumpkins in the 'flood area' ??
would i still be able to irrigate if I were using straw as a weed mulch or would it just fill in my 'flood' area & defeat the whole thing??

also if I plant pumpkins in the flood area would I have to somehow get the actual pumpkins out of the water? or is it ok for them to sit in it while it's being absorbed into the ground?

 

[Dace]

I have never done what you are proposing but I think it is a great idea.

I am envisioning the cornlock and along the outer berm (just on the inside) plant your pumpkins so that the roots will be inside the irrigation area and you can then train the vines to run along the outside of the flood zone...when your corn is tall enough add some beans along the base of the corn on the outer rows so that they are easy to reach.....sounds like an awesome plan to me!

 

[amyquilt]

Sounds like a great plan to me!