How Tall Does The Corn Need To Be?

[baymule]

I want to plant climbing butterbeans on my corn. Right now it is about 4-6" tall. How tall does it need to be before I plant the butterbeans next to it? It is Damon Morgan's Kentucky Butcher corn and it will get tall. I hope it makes a good harvest and not just poles for climbing beans.

 

[digitS']

I wish I knew a for-sure answer for you, Bay'.

The butterbean is a Lima bean, right? I've never grown Limas.

Corn plants had problems when I planted snapbeans with them. I waited until the corn seed had been in for 2 to 3 weeks before planting the beans. Even with that head start, I ended up setting some poles out in the corn - kind of defeats one of the reasons to grow them together .

Generally, the corn varieties I grow are kind of puny things. The earlier-maturing types tend to be short. The last effort at the 3 Sisters garden was to grow them for fall harvest - flour corn, dry beans, winter squash & pumpkins. If I do it again, I think I'd grow something like a Pinto which would like to climb altho' they might be classified as a "half-runner" type.

No good answer here other than to stand by with the poles, just in case. Anyway, this puts your question back at the top of the list.

Steve

 

[canesisters]

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OK - Sombody has to say it.....

 

[canesisters]

'How tall does the corn need to be?"

"As high as an elephant's eye....OOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOklahoma!"

 

[digitS']

High as the . .

. pie on the . .

. Fourth of July!

digitS'

 

[journey11]

That should be enough of a head start. I waited until ~12" on mine, but the directions I followed said 4". The corn will take off pretty quickly if the conditions are right (warm enough, wet enough).

 

[897tgigvib]

Bay, you're down there where the corn can grow pretty high because you can grow the tall kinds.

You are also down there where Limas, butterbeans, can grow pretty fast and tall.

I'd go with the upper range. Wait until the corn is a foot tall.

 

[baymule]

Thanks Journey and Marshall! And thanks to you funny guys and gals too! I kinda thought to let it grow a little taller, but it is so hard to wait! ..........puts pretty Violet's Multicolored Butterbeans back in package..... shoulders droop........hangs head.........sigh.........

 

[897tgigvib]

Awww Bay, why don't you plant a few with their own pole to climb on, then every 3 or 5 days plant a couple near a corn? btw, mostly near the edges of your corn plot.

 

[bobm]

I would plant the animal feed corn type instead of sweet corn types ... that corn stalk will grow as tall as an elephant's eye and be quite sturdy too.