[Kirpi]

Three Sisters: I use this method for sweetcorn, climbing beans (Cherokee trail of Tears) and Butternut Squash. Works for me. If I see any beans starting to strangle the sweetcorn, I just unwind the bean vine and give it a beanpole to climb up.

[mumofstig]

how do you get in there to do that, with the jungle of sweetcorn squash and beans. Or do you plant the corn  much further apart cos I can't get to my corn easily - and that's without the beans

[Aunt Sally]

I've never seen a successful three sisters planting and would like to

SO

Picture please Kirpi

[Goosegirl]

Are they pollinated cobs or just 3 cobs grown? they don't count until they're pollinated and eatable   Some of mine have 4/5 cobs if I includethe tillers - but they won't all make edible cobs  

Ah - that explains why my sweetcorn (Swift) grown in the g'house have several cobs per plant but some look like corn cobs coming out of their sheaths and producing tassels after silks. These must be the tillers, but have no idea why they do it. I do have 3 plants which I put outside and have caught up with the g'house ones amazingly well. I have one which has FIVE silks.

Fix quoted text.

[mumofstig]

The original 3 sisters is nicely explained here
http://greenthumbpete.com/?p=39

corn and beans for drying and squash for winter storage

[aelf]

I have 8 plants, all 7 foot high and bearing 2-3 cobs each. Considering the poor growing conditions this year, and how the plants were struggling earlier on, I'm really pleased 

Are they pollinated cobs or just 3 cobs grown? they don't count until they're pollinated and eatable  Some of mine have 4/5 cobs if I includethe tillers - but they won't all make edible cobs 

Hi MOS, yes. all pollinated and swelling up nicely  Just a matter of timing the harvest right so that I get them before the meeces do 

[angelavdavis]

I manage two of the three sisters but don't do the beans.  I find the courgettes and sweetcorn work well together.

[battygran]

Thanks for the advice JayG and mumofstig, but I fear it's too late as the pollen has been and gone, I peeped into a couple of cobs today and things are not looking good, as mumof stig said it has been windy here too. I think I will give it a bit longer but I'm not holding my breath!  

[MyAchingBack]

I have 18 plants with a total of 32 cobs. Hey, not bad for my first attempt! Took a quick peek at the largest cob yesterday but it hasn’t turned yellow yet. A couple more weeks I think.

[Springlands]

I have 18 plants with a total of 32 cobs. Hey, not bad for my first attempt! Took a quick peek at the largest cob yesterday but it hasn’t turned yellow yet. A couple more weeks I think.

The cobs do not always turn yellow - some are more a pale cream - if you pierce one of the kernels with your thumb and it exudes a milky fluid the cob should be ready. If left too late the cobs go starchy and are not nice to eat. 

[simonwatson]

I've planted a block of about 20 plants. They were badly slowed down by the bad weather at the start of the summer but look much better now, though small.

My question is, they are only about 2 feet tall but are starting to produce tassels. I can see them just forming at the top of the stems. If they start to flower while so small, does anyone think they'll produce a crop?

Thanks

Simon

[JayG]

They obviously are quite small, but how small compared to how tall they should be does depend on variety.

As long as you get "silks" appearing and the weather isn't too awful at pollination time you should get at least 1 cob per plant, although they will probably not be as large as they would be if the plants had grown to full size and strength.

In the last few years I've rarely got more than 1 good cob per plant anyway, mainly because I'm now struggling to remember the last time we had a sweetcorn-friendly summer! 

[Wellpotty1]

I have 11 plants planted 12 one disappeared -prob slugs or birds- with courgettes in the bed also, both seem to be doing well. They are close together - less than a 30cm rule I would say and all have cobs starting, very excited as not grown them before.