The lettuces have all bolted, but the kale and chard are still kicking strong!
And with the last few days of really hot (like the end of July hot!) weather, the summer plants are really growing like crazy.
I've wanted to try the three sisters method of planting corn, beans and squash for a long time. But we just didn't have enough room to get them all in.
Until this year!
With the addition of the two new raised beds, I dedicated one corner to trying out the three sisters. The corn seed was planted first, followed about a week later with the beans. And now we've added the yellow crooked necked squash.
The idea, originated by the Native Americans, is that the corn provides a trellis for the beans to climb. The beans provide much needed nitrogen for the soil. And the squash covers the ground keeping out weeds and keeps the ground from drying out.
There are many different ways of using companion planting similar to this in your garden. We also plant tomatoes next to marigolds because most bugs that get your tomatoes do not like the smell of the marigolds.
We're excited here to see how our little experiment goes.
Bring on the summer veggies!
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Other garden notes:
-Potatoes are beginning to bloom
-Corn is silking
-Peas are almost done
-Picked 4 little patio tomatoes today
-Basil is growing like mad
-Cilantro is going to seed...corriander!
-Garlic is blooming
-Saw the first little baby cukes
-Purple runner beans are beginning to make their way up the trellis
-Peppers are beginning to make peppers too!