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Companion planting - Peas, Potatoes, Sweetcorn

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  • #1

    Companion planting - Peas, Potatoes, Sweetcorn

    Hi
    Just wondering if anybody has ever tried growing peas, potatoes and sweetcorn together in a raised bed. In Bob Flowerdew's book 'Organic Bible', he says that by growing three beds with all 3 crops in each that you get higher yields overall than if you grew the 3 crops on their own. Apparently, you put the peas in a thin row down the middle and flank them on either side with alternate sweet corn and potato plants. The peas provide shelter for the young tender shoots, the potatoes keep the soil covered and moist which the sweet corn and peas enjoy, while non shades the other.

    Has anybody tried this and had any success? I'm not sure about the spacing of the potatoes and sweet corn plants - can anybody help? My raised beds are 1.2m x 3m if that helps.

    Cheers
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  • #2
    I must admit to having never heard of that! Does Bob give no indication of spacing in his book? The only thing I can suggest is to go with the standard potato spacing and slot the others into that?

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    • #3
      Unfortunately, Bob doesn't give any indication of spacings in his book. This is where I'm a bit confused. Have asked other allotmenteers and they don't seem to have heard of this technique either. But then the majority of people at my allotment only go for the traditional rows and not raised beds.

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      • #4
        In that case, I'd go for the spuds at standard spacing, and then fit the others in between. At least you'll know that the potato plants have the space to produce some tubers then.
        Last edited by SarzWix; 11-04-2009, 10:47 AM.

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        • #5
          I have thought about this over a hot cross bunny and a cup of tea.

          If the potatoes are earlies, which Bob is known for saying don't need earthing up, then how do you harvest the potatoes as sweetcorn comes good much later in the season.

          If they aren't earlies, then how do they get earthed up without disturbing the peas/sweetcorn?

          I can picture it but not the practicalities....

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          • #6
            Originally posted by zazen999 View Post
            I have thought about this over a hot cross bunny and a cup of tea.

            If the potatoes are earlies, which Bob is known for saying don't need earthing up, then how do you harvest the potatoes as sweetcorn comes good much later in the season.

            If they aren't earlies, then how do they get earthed up without disturbing the peas/sweetcorn?

            I can picture it but not the practicalities....
            That was my thought - how can you earth up (or harvest) the spuds if there are other plants in there? The peas will be over fairly soon but not the sweetcorn. But then the sweetcorn doesn't go in until late - perhaps he is suggesting you plant the spuds, wait until they show a bit of green, then earth up all in one go and plant the sweetcorn and peas only once it is earthed up? Or plant early peas with the spuds, then earth up once the peas are finished and plant the sweetcorn only once the peas come out?
            Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.

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            • #7
              So how would you be able to pick all the peas properly, how could you see if the potatoes had blight and deal with it if they were planted around other stuff? I suppose if you left enough space between the corn and the potatoes there should be room to dig the spuds up, but it hardly seems a good use of space.
              "Orinoco was a fat lazy Womble"

              Please ignore everything I say, I make it up as I go along, not only do I generally not believe what I write, I never remember it either.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by zazen999 View Post
                If the potatoes are earlies, which Bob is known for saying don't need earthing up, then how do you harvest the potatoes as sweetcorn comes good much later in the season.

                If they aren't earlies, then how do they get earthed up without disturbing the peas/sweetcorn?
                I'm with Andrea - the timing seems crucial. Also I'm not sure how the peas can provide shelter for anything, unless you either put them in really early or plant your potatoes so deep that they take ages to come up!

                I can see early peas and first early potatoes working well together, since you could harvest them at around the same time, but sweetcorn in the same bed...

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                • #9
                  I earth up my sweetcorn ...
                  All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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