Corn and Pole Beans.

[theOEGBman]

My grandma wants me to plant corn. That's fine with me, I've never planted it and I would love to try. I got my garden area cleared out completely yesterday and would like to start planting ASAP! She was telling me about growing beans up the corn and I had read about it as well. So my questions are: Have any of you done this, and how did it work? and Do you plant the corn a couple weeks ahead so it has some strength to it before the beans start to send out runners?

This is a totally new thing to me, and I will also have 2 more rows of beans up a trellis, but I think it would be something fun to try.


Jordan

 

[wooden_pony]

Yes Jordan we do it all the time here.

You have to plant the corn first or the beans will take over the corn stalkes.

Make sure you plant the corn close so they can pollinate with eachother easier. I normally plant a bean on every other corn stalk because I plant the corn so close together.

I like the way it looks when everything matures!

 

[theOEGBman]

Hi Lisa!

Thanks, Im glad to know someone else has done it.

How much sooner do you plant the corn? That is the thing my grandma and I could NOT figure out! I really appreciate your help.

 

[wooden_pony]

OK Jordan here is what I do and it has worked really well for me....

Soak corn seeds overnight and then plant them.

After a week or two, when the corn is at least 4 inches high, soak and then plant the pole bean seeds plant about 6 inches away from the corn. We also plant winter squash or mini Jack pumpkins on our corn. Plant them using the same system that the beans are planted soak overnight then plant.

The corn LOVES to have those types of plants near them! First because the beans have bacteria living on their roots that help them absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can use. Corn, which requires a lot of nitrogen to grow, benefits from that. Also the squash and pumpkin leaves help shade the root systems of the corn and it helps keep the weeds down.

Have fun Jordan with planting this way! I taught this to my Sister In Law because she has a small garden plot and planting this way she is able to plant more produce!

 

[mamaspider]

Those are two of the three sisters... add some squash to the same area and you'll have all three - the beans fix nitrogen for the corn, the squash provides weed control for the other two, the corn gives the beans something to grow on and the corn and beans give the squash a bit of shade. plant in this order corn, then beans, then squash, to give each one time to grow a bit before adding the next.

i tried this a few year ago and the beans and squash loved it - the corn needed help, but i think i didn't plant enough of it... hmmm...

j

 

[wooden_pony]

Thank you mamaspider, I could not remember what it was called. I had him add winter squash to his corn so he would have the three sisters.

 

[theOEGBman]

Thanks, Lisa and Mamaspider!

I really appreciate what you've told me. I'll pass the info on to my grandma. This is going to be my first year with a big garden, so Im pretty excited!


Lisa, you talk about soaking seeds. I have never done that, could you please explain it to me better? Its probably something totally simple, but I can be an airhead sometimes,lol.


Also, does it have to be winter squash? That is something that just doesnt interest me too much! I would love to try some pumpkins though, could I do that? Thanks!



Jordan

 

[wooden_pony]

Jordan,

I just put them in a bowl of water overnight. Similar to how you soak dried beans before you cook them. Soaking helps them sprout faster.

You can grow what ever you want up the corn.
You just have to make sure what ever grows up the corn the vegtables does not get to heavy for the corn to hold up. That is why I do Mini Jack pumpkins instead of a normal sized pumpkin LOL

I also plant differnt types of beans not just pole beans.

Ediied for spelling: because you know me Jordan I can not spell

 

[theOEGBman]

Hey Lisa,

That makes total sense! Told ya it was obvious,lol.

Oh, do the pumpkins grow UP the corn stalks?! I thought it grew along the ground,lol. I would only do the mini ones if I was growing them that way. The large pumpkins, if I do grow them, will go on the other side of the garden. Well, I might look around for some other kind of bean to grow with them, because we will have a few rows of our usuals already. I think we are going seed hunting on Saturday,lol.

Thanks!


Jordan

 

[silkiechicken]

How do you keep the beens from growing up and down a single leaf of the corn stalk? I had a few beans decide to grow up corn but they ended up surrounding and choking off a few of the leaves.... Could it be because the corn I grow is the 64 day short season junk that takes 100 days and only get to about 4 feet tall?