veggie gardening

I've spent a few hours today in the back yard gardening. Weeding, hoeing, planting seeds, mounding up the potato plants.

We have three veggie patches, this one has rhubarb, strawberries, potatoes, maize/corn, squash, zucchini/courgettes, and runner/pole beans.

I wanted to try the three sisters method of growing corn, beans, and squash, but we didn't have enough space so instead of the circular mounds that are supposed to be used I've gone for rows but planted everything very close together, more on the square foot gardening method. The three sisters is a Native American planting system. The corn grows strong and tall providing a support for the beans to hang on to. The beans put nitrogen back into the soil and the squash covers the ground keeping the weeds out. The corn has sprouted as have some of the squash and today I planted runner beans and romano beans. Both are climbers. The runner bean seeds were hard to find so I have also planted the romano beans.

We also have two raised beds which we have planted, er in theory, using the square foot gardening method.

We have French beans, tomatoes, eggplant/aubergine, sweet peppers, peas, kale, and some marigolds to keep the bugs away. The little windmills are there to scare away the critters who like to snack as is the dangling thing. That's a windsock hanging in the tree branches. I may add some old CDs on sticks for added scare factor.


I say in theory as the peas were planted randomly by my man, he's not one for rules and order.

We also have a garbage/rubbish bin full of potatoes and a couple of flower beds that have some beans and sunflowers in them.

As long as those critters and bugs keep away we should have a bumper crop this summer.