🌽 Update on the 3 Sisters Plantings 🍉 WizStead Post #18

Commonly called the three sisters.

An age old tradition dating back to Native Americans.
- Corn provides a "trellis" for the pole beans to grow up.
- Beans provide needed nitrogen to the soil.
- Squash provides a living mulch to keep weeds down and moisture up.
  - Companion planting at it's best!

✔ TTD When corn is 4" tall, thin to 4 plants per hill and plant beans

I really have a hard time thinning plants, but I have learned over time it's something you must do.

Time to plant some pole beans

I poked a hole with my finger, dropped in a bean, tamped in the dirt and watered.
4 beans per hill.

✚ TTD Mulch with black plastic, grass clippings and straw.

Only 1 variety of corn has germinated.
- I think this is due to using old seeds.
  - During our recent move, I gathered up any seed packets I found into 1 basket. Some of these are years old...
- Guess I'll get some fresh seed and replant this weekend.
Squash and melons are up.
- The Sugar Baby melons only have a couple of sprouts.
  - Again probably due to using old seeds, so will replant this weekend.

My first broccoli forming a head

Taters are blossoming

Have a good stand of peas.
Onions are looking good.
Have a few beets that have germinated.
Had to replant a few tomatoes and peppers.
About 1/2 the strawberries made it.
- 7 of the 10 in the grow bag survived.
Not many of the sunflowers germinated.
Still waiting on marigolds, zinnias and a few other flowers to sprout.
- Dang old seed! haha I won't do that again...
Peonies are starting to bloom.
Tall bearded iris have bloomed and are fading.
Several asparagus grew what is now a fern looking stalk.
some of my transplanted bushes didn't survive.
The reblooming Josee lilac bush bloomed.
Some grass I seeded is doing good. Still lots of leveling and cleaning up before I seed more...
Have pulled several more stumps.