Soooo. Yesterday I turned the muck pile. I wanted to do it today, but I changed that plan. Tomorrow I am leaving for a few-day’s trip and I did want to be at least a bit rested before the several hours-long drive.
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When turning the pile, there were visibly different forms of decomposition taking place. There were hot spots, all wet and mushy. And there were also cold spots, full of white fungal growth. It was visible that the pile was unevenly watered, which is understandable since I was watering it with cans without the shower spout. Looking at it and realizing that even the dry-ish spots are actually decomposing in the environment made me think that an inconsistently wetted compost pile is perhaps not a bad thing. The wet spots get hot and decompose, and the dry spots allow for gas exchange with the environment. It still had 50-70 °C all over before I turned it and mixed it anew, and since it was cold outside, visible steam rose from it. Unfortunately, I was unable to take a picture of that.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
In the days before that, I prepared this, the bean-growing patch. I tilled a grid of 25 squares, approx 50×50 cm, spaced approx 50 cm so I can go between them with a lawn mower. That took me several days since the lawn is tough. Not only due to the ancient grass-growth, but also due to the high content of quartz stones. A fact of which I will never cease to remind you. I collected two full 10 l buckets of stones over 2 cm in diameter.
When the squares were tilled, I planted tall poplar poles in each corner, and I bound the tips over them. I stripped the bark from the poles at about 20 cm at the bottom, and I left them dry for a few weeks before planting them so they do not take root.
I can plant up to two bean plants near each pole and a few corn plants along the edges, too. In the middle, I plan to plant pumpkins. This is an experimental patch for the “tree sisters” system. All three plants should be able to grow fast enough to outgrow the weeds and the grass in the tilled patches. We will see how that goes. At least for the beans, this system is actually tested, and they should thrive in the grass. I am growing beans in the grass for years by now, on the south wall of my house.
I still have about 80 poles left unplanted. I can either put them somewhere dry to save them for next year, or I can make another patch. I still have plenty of unused space left. I will decide what to do when I return from my trip.
Good luck with your “three sisters” project. I think you will do well.
We experimented with three sisters some years back. FWIW, this is what we learned:
-- pole beans climbing on corn stalks wrapped themselves tightly around the corn ears, preventing harvest of fresh eating corn. Would be ok if growing corn for drying. You have poles for the beans, good, and I would patrol to keep the beans off the corn. In subsequent years we put bush beans between every two rows of corn, which worked well.
-- squash vines ran all over the place, climbed up corn, jumped across rows, blocking access down the rows. Additionally one of the four gardeners involved was pretty clumsy and damaged vines walking on them.
-- We had tall modern corn. As everything grew, they couldn’t support the weight when a strong wind came through and most of the experiment blew over. We propped stuff back up with poles and still got a harvest. You are ahead of the game with poles from the start. Keep the beans on the poles and you should do well. Thanks for your on-going posts.
@rwiess, thanks for the heads-up; it did not occur to me that the beans could tie the corn ears to the stalk. I hope that by that time the beans will be taller than the corn, but it is not guaranteed.