Gardening
I really miss the gardening for sanity group that used to be on here. Especially this time of year. I miss talking about my garden and I can't find any active gardening groups on here.
I think I might try to plant corn this year. Never grown it before because of raccoons. Also thinking of planting in clumps instead of rows to see if weeds get better managed.
If anyone cares.
Replies
I care. I miss the gardening for sanity group, too. I was quite disappointed when it disappeared on us, but life goes on.
I had better luck planting corn in clumps than I did with rows. Corn needs to cross-pollinate to create fruit. I didn't have the space to do more than two rows and that wasn't enough for full cross-pollinatation. Planted in clumps, the limited number of plants cross-pollinated just fine. The corn still didn't mature well, but I believe that was the hot, arid climate I live in. Corn likes wetter conditions. I think. Just a theory.
I hope I get to hear how your corn works out. Coons, too.
Oh arfie! I'm so glad you know about clump planting. I plan to transplant my melons that come up this year and put them near the corn clumps. You have any ideas what else to plant in my clumps? I should have a decent strawberry and blueberry patch this year too, and always herbs and lettuce come back on the early side of the garden. I may plant some beets this year too because I LOVE them.
Pole beans could work in the clumps don't you think? They could climb on the corn?
Letting the beans and melons climb on the corn stalks might have been part of why my corn ears didn't mature so well. Maybe. Fact is, corn doesn't do well in deserty environments across the board. Even feed quality corn is hard to produce here. The beans thrived on the corn stalks, but the melons were a too heavy for the stalk to support. I've wondered about mix planting climbing tomatoes and corn, too.
I love mixed beds. The wild plants I so adore are NEVER found in single species plant communities. With 140 acres of such wild plant communities to explore, I haven't been able to get interested in a garden, though I still miss my favorite medicinal herbs mightily. I'll buy the pill variety just as soon as somebody shows me the all natural pill plants.
My language nerd son thinks the all natural pills are produced on ranches where they introduce German tables (masc) to Spanish tables (fem) and breed all natural tablets. Leave it to the Liberal Arts school of thought. . .