Planting beans with corn

[longwinters]

Have you ever planted beans among your sweet corn?  It seems to make sense (to me) that corn is a heavy nitrogen feeder and beans fix nitrogen in the ground.


So my sweet corn is up a couple inches and I planted some beans in between the corn rows.  Guess Indians used to do this but also add squash/pumpkins or whatever.  I don't have the room in my raised beds for all 3 in the same place so taking my chances  with just the two.


Anyone else try to put varieties of different veggies/herbs together that are mutually beneficial?


Long

[Oldshooter]

We plant the corn in an x and beans in the notches the beans climb the corn and feed it Nitrogen. wife says its old injun trick.   

[blind ear]

Add the squash in the gaps to give ground shade. Plant them and by the time they spread much the beans will be climbing. Living mulch.

[Bob Riebe]

I have a booklet from Redwood Seeds that puts an end to the beneficial bit, at least for all plants involved.

It said the Indians did it out of necessity,  part of which was it made water and fertiizer applied to the garden serve a greater purpose.

They did a scientific test with plants planted alone and plants planted together.

When planted together, one plant always did worse than the base plants, but one type sometimes did better.

One can do it for space, but otherwise it has no real benefits.

[cjclemens]

Companion cropping rarely works to the benefit of both crops. In many cases, it works to the benefit of neither. This is because plants are competing for more than just one resource. While beans may make a small amount of nitrogen available to the corn, both plants still require water, light, and other nutrients. There is a lot of myth and speculation about the "3 sisters" planting method, but the simple fact is that planting corn and beans separately still works better.