Knee high by the 4th of July

In massachusetts the saying for corn is that it should be "knee high by the 4th of July." These stalks, planted May 21st are knee high at 6 weeks. The plentiful rain has been fueling their growth as well as every other week feeding. I've planted pole beans at the base of each stalk.

Three sisters garden (corn, beans, squash)

When the corn was up 4 inches or so (around June 8th), I thinned the corn to about 12" and planted 3-4 pole beans seeds at the base of each stalk (a mix of Kentucky blue and haricot verts). 10 days later, the corn has survived a rabbit attack and the beans are starting to sprout.

I also planted pumpkin at either end of the corn bed. This is the "three sisters garden", a supposedly beneficial planting arrangement where the beans climb the corn stalks and the squash, in this case pumpkins, fill in around the base to form a natural mulch. Greg normally does not go for such promiscuous co-minging of plants, so I've never tried this approach before.