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I have a raised bed that is 47 × 31 inches. How many corn plants can i fit in there? I was thinking about 8, but maybe i can have more than that too?
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You can plant them right on the edge at about 10 inches apart,I think more too,maybe 3x4 (12) plants in that bed?Last edited by Jungle Jane; 07-04-2017, 11:39 AM.Location : Essex -
As long as there is a good space round the bed I don't see why you can't plant more as Jane says.
3 47inch rows about a foot apart (leaving 3 to 4 inches either side). 5-4-5, 14 plants in total.Comment
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If I was you, I'd go for the 3 sisters method, plant 8-10 sweet corn, climbing beans up those and squash plants planted under that. I did it last year with good result and I'm planning on doing it again this year. Planting time is important for it to work but if done probably has a lot of benefits. Get a lot more food from the same space, the sweet corn provides the structure for the beans to climb, which in turn make them more stable and less likely to blow over, and the squash helps prevent weeds.Last edited by flynch; 11-04-2017, 07:52 AM.Comment
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I grew some last year, not massive amount of cobs, but managed 8 plants in half the area you have, I had to insulate with a frame with fleece on it as it's too short a season up here. Mine will be in the greenhouse this year, planning on a dozen plants in a 6 foot by 3 foot bed.Comment
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My runner bean vines strangled my corn tightly when I did it,no space for cobs to be able to form because they had a vine trapping them & I just remember a little bulge (the sweet corn) being trapped between vines,I can't imagine it working maybe I was just unlucky? Corn grows a lot slower than beans,it would twist to the top before the cobs form so it would depend where the vines go etc.....Originally posted by flynch View PostLocation : EssexComment
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Has been used by the native Americans for hundreds of years. Timing is very important you're only suppose to plant the bean seeds once the corn has grown to a sufficient height. Different bean varieties grow to different heights as well, one I can't remember the name of was nearly two metres which is far to tall for this. So guessing it depends on timing and the variety.
Like I say it's a fairly old method, I've had success and a lot of YouTubers have as well. It takes some research and timing to get right.Comment
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Timing does sound important so is it best to sow the runner beans next to the corn in August? (& pinch the tips to whatever height you want so they don't grow 2 meters tall). Sounds good to try
Location : EssexComment
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I didn't plant my beans until the were knee high so a bean that produces quickly and pinching helps. A lot of YouTube bloggers have it from start to finish, is good to look it up.Comment
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I think for the '3 sisters method' you need a bigger area ideally this site suggests at least 10feet x 10feet:
https://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/...isters_Method/Comment
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a 4ft by 2.5 ft raised bed the number of plants would depend type corn plant
early corn 4 plant per square foot.
mid-season 2 corn per foot
late season 1 corn per foot
as for three sister you need tall variety typically meal corn variety.
sweet corn is usually to fragile to grow beans up in three sister method.Comment
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I vaguely followed the pack recommendation of 38cm in my small bed of F1 Sundance last year. I squeezed a few diagnally in the middle that were a bit closer, but it didn't seem to cause a problem. That didn't leave much room for squash, but i did have success growing a cobra climbing bean up each stalk.
I think I had one or two that tightly bound around a cob, where i think i managed to free one, and might have cut back the bean on the other. I think choosing a fairly early variety of corn probably helps that. The biggest problem i had was the stalks of the corn keeping enough rigidity for the duration of the beans life, long after the corn was done. But they just about made it. Whilst the corn was going there was no issue with their strength and the corn, just gotta give the corn a good heads start.
All in all I thought it was a good success, I'd not grown corn or beans before. I was paranoid about the block not being big enough for pollination after what I'd read about minimum sizes, but a week of going out with a paintbrush before work sorted that out.Last edited by LexLucre; 13-04-2017, 10:19 PM.Comment
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