Thursday 12 June 2014

Three Sisters. One plot, three plants.

Posted by Rosie

You know what?  I think I should complain more often!  After having a moan about the unseasonal June weather on top of a rather miserable May, the weather gods took heed and finally sent some glorious sunshine.  Eco-Gites of Lenault has been basking in sunshine this week and I even have slightly red shoulders to prove it! *

The garden has been thankful for this change of temperature too.  The strawberries have gone ballistic - this is about 4kgs that I picked 2 days ago and the blue bowl was full to the top with even more before Simon, Tom and Ben got their paws on them!

Strawberries anyone?

And did you notice in the picture above a few raspberries sneaking into the corner of the picture?  I don't have a huge number of summer raspberries but they are always welcome coming early in the fruit season and to be honest I think I actually prefer them to strawberries.  (There may actually have been a few more in the bowl before I got my paws on them this time!)

First Raspberries

And just look at my mange-tout - it seems only last week that I was worried the weeds might overrun them and now they are at the top of their supports.  I must keep a close eye on these as the time from flower to edible mange-tout is really very quick.  Mmmm - stir-fry may be on the menu soon at Eco-Gites of Lenault!

Mange-tout or Triffids?

Finally you may be wondering at the title, Three Sisters.  One plot, three plants.  This is what I mean ...

Three Sisters Planting

Fear not - I have not gone completely mad and planted sticks but I am planting 3 different vegetables in the same part of the polytunnel ... and the sticks are there to show me where the seeds are so I know where to water!   Native Americans used to plant sweetcorn and in between the tall sweetcorn plants they would sow pumpkins to ramble across the ground.  Finally they would sow climbing beans that use the sweetcorn stems to climb up.  This is Three Sisters Planting which I am trying in a slightly altered form.  In my version I have sown sweetcorn with crystal apple cucumbers in the gaps.  These may or may not climb (they vary) and I will sow some climbing beans in pots to add at the base of the sweetcorn if the cucumbers prefer to ramble.  And I have one more plant right at the back - a sweet potato vine.  This rambled last year but can apparently climb so I will have to wait and see what it does.  Poor thing, it is rather lonely there on it's own as this was the last one the garden centre had.  I hope it likes sweetcorn, cucumbers and beans for neighbours.

So all in all a pretty good week in the garden.  I have also resown the parsnips and beetroots and bought chard seedlings after they too failed to germinate.  I feel we may have veg to eat after all this year!

Keen to see what other gardeners have been up to this week?  The pop on over to Annie at Mammasuarus and have a nose through the other blogs in the How Does Your garden Grow linky:


Mammasaurus and How Does Your Garden Grow?

* And on the subject of complaining might I just add that my lottery numbers never come up and George Clooney has NEVER visited the gite ;)

26 comments :

  1. Our mange tout are rampant this year - can't keep up with them so made some v good soup for the freezer with lots of them. Maybe George and his new fiance might book a week for their honeymoon...?

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    1. Oooh - soup - sounds good. Now, I wonder where M Clooney's address is so I can suggest our gite for his honeymoon ;)

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  2. There was me feeling all proud that we harvested our first strawberry this morning, and then I see your 4kgs :D Your mange-tout are massive!

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    1. The first one is always the sweetest no matter how many you harvest afterwards!

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  3. It is a great feeling harvesting fruit and vegetables that have been lovingly grown. O'll look forward to watching the polytunnel activity x

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  4. I'm both in awe and jealous of your fruit and vegetables. Paradise! And such a cool idea using Native American planting techniques to create your own three sisters garden.

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    1. Don't be in awe - there's plenty of failures that never make it onto the blog!

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  5. What a gorgeous crop of strawberries! I do love the different techniques you use in the garden, always learning

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    1. I am always learning and trying new things too - some work and some don't. Last year I tried cucumbers in grow bags rather than the soil - complete failure!

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  6. Love the way you have used the space in your poly tunnel. Also those strawberries look wonderful.

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    1. Thank you - fingers crossed it works and the plants don't end up killing each other!

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  7. I can think of so many things to do with those strawberries! Jams and cakes! #hdygg

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  8. Strawb fest! I'll bring the Pimms !

    And fruit to match the colour of your shoulders - tres chic!

    The mange tout is growing like wildfire - ace, oh and did I mention that raspberries are my favourite thing ever?*

    Thanks for joining in again :)

    *other than gin and George Clooney (women of excellent taste!)

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    1. So which one of us should arrange the Pimms and Gin evening with Mr Clooney where we nibble on .....raspberries?!

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  9. Those strawberries look outrageous - Yum! I have one humble plant in my back garden, and will probably yield only half a punnet full!

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  10. Please continue to complain of the weather gets bad again then!

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  11. i have totally heard about 3 sister planting and have done it myself it works a dream it inspired me to think more about planting like this so i also grow sweatpeas up sunflowers, peas over courgettes which stops the blooming pigeons eating the tender peas. I hope you have greand plans for that bumper crop of strawberries. i do love your garden so much

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    1. Thank you - although I only show you the best bits of the garden - there are plenty of bad bits and weeds behind the camera!!

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  12. Oh wow... your strawberries!!!! Loving the sound of the Three Sisters Planting, good use of space. Something to think about in my small garden for next year.

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  13. Such a great time of year when the crops start appearing. I doubt we will have many strawberries but should have lots of summer and then autumn fruiting raspberries. My Dad has tried the three sisters method and it worked out ok. Look forward to seeing more of your veggies.

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  14. What a lovely sight all those strawberries are. We only get a few a day ripening in our garden and all the pick your own farms have closed down. Don't eat them all at once!

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