Sweet Corn

Corn Rows

Yesterday I decided it was time to finally get that sweet corn in the ground. Frank had finished the bed, it had rested for a few days, the lunar calendar said it was time to go and the weather wasn’t bad (assuming you don’t mind wind). So in the ground the seeds went. 3 rows, 8 seeds each.

I will sow climbing beans to scramble up the corn but the corn needs to get a couple of inches high before that can happen. I’ll also sow a variety of squash plants around the corn. There’s no real reason to wait to sow those but I might see how much of the corn germinates (and survives the grazing of bandicoots and possums). If I don’t end up with a lot of corn, I could put something else in, who knows.

The theory behind the corn/beans/squash planting is based on old American Indian practices. The corn gives the beans something to climb, the beans put nitrogen into the soil and the squash protects the corn from foraging animals. They call them the three sisters.

bramble fence around the veggie patch

When I was done, I installed my trademark brambles around the bed. I still hope it discouraged marauders (though Frank’s quick to point out that bandicoots live in brambles so it probably doesn’t help there). Since I’ve started surrounding my beds with sticks I’ve noticed a decline in them being used as a litter box by the neighbour’s cat so I’ll keep building mini-Fort Knox whenever I have bare soil.

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