So I know corn is supposed to be knee high by the 4th of July, and that is about where my knowledge of corn growing ends. So of course I planted some this year! Originally I was planning to grow sunflowers and corn and try the "three sisters" approach that the Native Americans used. You grow corn then let your beans use it as a trellis and squash grows at the foot of it all to control weeds and shade the soil to help it retain moisture. I figured I would skip the squash and just do the beans and corn. Apparently I got the wrong kind of corn, because it is a week past the 4th of July, and while being more than knee high, it certainly isn't tall enough to be growing beans up it! Oh well, it is the gardener's way to experiment, and make the best of it if something doesn't go as planned. I am going to try the beans in buckets on the roof, with a trellis woven between the guard rail boards, and am just hoping the corn does something!
I'm going to have to call dad and ask if that is what corn is supposed to do...
On another up side, I have pulled out most of the cabbage. It never got to be big heads, but the fist size heads I did get were tasty. We had stirfried cabbage and coleslaw. I think I will try a fall batch too. The zinnias are also taking hold. They will have a little competition though, I have interspersed them with some compact squash plants. I don't quite believe the "compact" claim, but so long as they don't try to take over like last year, we should do okay! I may have to stake or cage the zinnias a little to keep them from crowding the front of the bed where the squash are. Apparently everybody is reaching for the sunniest part of the yard.
2 comments:
With global warming causing earlier spring, no-till farming allowing quicker planting, and herbicides to control the weeds, people in corn country (OH) routinely have corn "head high by the 4th of July" now. But they are not talking about sweet corn - it rarely gets that tall. I see yours is already tasseling, so it is almost done growing - the ears you see forming now are it. Corn does not grow well without full sun, so it will not get very big in your yard with adjacent fence and trees.....Dad
With global warming causing earlier spring, no-till farming allowing quicker planting, and herbicides to control the weeds, people in corn country (OH) routinely have corn "head high by the 4th of July" now. But they are not talking about sweet corn - it rarely gets that tall. I see yours is already tasseling, so it is almost done growing - the ears you see forming now are it. Corn does not grow well without full sun, so it will not get very big in your yard with adjacent fence and trees.....Dad
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