The Three Sisters - Part 2

Since the weather has warmed up a bit I have risked completing the Three Sisters bed.

Last week I had to put into action the anti-frost protection plan that I had prepared: I swathed the Sweet Corn and Squash in several layers of fleece, kept in place by the circle of Clematis netting and a few clothes-pegs. The plants had to endure two nights of very cold conditions, but they have survived. The forecast is now for a spell of warm and sunny weather with night-time temps of not less than 10C, so I considered that it was reasonably safe to put out the rest of the plants.

I have basically mirrored the arrangement I installed earlier, with one Butterbush squash underneath a plastic cloche and surrounded by six Sweet Corn plants:

Actually, the only spare piece of Clematis netting I had was not as long as the other one, so I had to content myself with semi-circle rather than a complete circle.

Since these photos were taken, I have closed the gap with a wire shelf taken from one of the mini-greenhouses, so all the Sweet Corn plants are now protected.

Incidentally, when I judge that the plants no longer need protection I will certainly remove the cloches and probably the Clematis netting as well. Not sure about the latter, as it may provide useful support for the corn, which I know is vulnerable to strong winds.

***********************************************************************************

P.S. Jane and I will be going up North to help her Mum to re-establish herself in her own home after her recent illness. We expect to be away for about a week, so I may be a bit quiet on the Blogging front for a while...