[WebSiteEvo]

The three Sisters companion planting seems to be doing well below my munty frame. I am extremely pleased with the results. Some Nasturtiums in there as well... Added alot more compost than normal to compensate for the extra crops which seems to have done the trick.

No weeding has been required since it got going and the soil never drys out ...
 

[missycat]

It all looks fantastic...but doesn't it make harvesting your beans difficult?

[WebSiteEvo]

Most of the beans are at the back, over & on the fence (just out of the picture), so should be ok, I guess a few will be difficult. The Munty frame has not got and string across to climb this year (not got round to it) so they are climbing the fence, some canes and the sweetcorn. Not harvesting yet, so will have to wait and see if there are any problems.

[Aunt Sally]

How long ago was the picture taken WebSiteEvo ?

[WebSiteEvo]

the 9th 7th Aug I think.

[WebSiteEvo]

The back fence with beans.


Beans are behind last year, but the sweetcorn is about the same. Beans were planted in the soil and had a very slow start. Started them in the green house last year.

[Zippy]

Similar thing going on here, but pic not so good. From top left and going clockwise: Runner Beans and Peas (netted) at back, then Dwarf Beans in low netted cage and then bottom left - three sisters of Sweetcorn, BNS and Mange Toute and French Beans. On the bamboo fence (left) are Sweetpeas and Cornflower. sweet peas also growing up a wigwam (about centre of pic) - not yet in flower, but they have grown above the floor of squash leaves.

No weeding and because I have incorporated lots of legumes I have not had to incorporate any larger amounts of compost or manure.  I train peas up sticks rather than up the sweetcorn to give each a growing chance. Squashes are grown offside and then trained into the bed once the others have grown up a bit out of the squash leaves ground cover level.

Paths are grassed in this pic - they are now bare earth as they are easier to maintain and being sandy soil never go slippy like clay.

[WebSiteEvo]

shading the soil is the key I think... when bare soil is avoided it reduced the time required for weeding and watering. You also have the added benefit of legumes fixing nitrogen and sharing it.

I have found the same... keep the squashes (or similar)  to the south side of the bed and they do a good job at shading without smoothing the sweetcorn. Once the sweetcorn is established the squashes can move in further.

Under-planting generally seems very beneficial: See:

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[Aunt Sally]

Very interesting video

I wonder why he doesn't grow peas and beans - I couldn't live without them

[birmancats]

Went to a green manures day course recently and his book was there.  Looked excellent.  Hoping I might get as a birthday present!

[WebSiteEvo]

I am also after his book... Yes very interesting video, one of the best I have found for organic growing and cover crops...  defiantly want to use more cover crops in my veg patch.

[Trillium]

One question he didn't answer was how did he take down the manure crops for planting time. Normally green manure growers are adverse to plowing or rotovating, yet all his crops looked as if they'd been recently rotovated and the green manures plowed under. He said he grew clover between the carrot rows but it looked more like rotovation to me.

[Aunt Sally]

When asked about weeding he said that they did mechanical weeding.

[Trillium]

Thanks, Aunty. Mechanical, huh? I got to about 9 min in the video and all the off-on vocals were getting to me so I couldn't  keep watching.

[Aunt Sally]

I'm still wondering where the peas and beans are