Growing 3 sisters but my beans are overtaking corn

Question

I planted my beans out once my corn was about 6 - 12 inches but the corn is growing real slow and the beans are overtaking them. Corn is jimmy red cord and Im in the UK. Any suggestions on what to do next? Should I stake the beans? Thanks

Answer 1

This is a "wish I'd known that" answer, but you might try bush beans next time! Then, you'd eventually have the opposite problem: the corn (and even squash) may shade out the beans.

Yea, I would stake the beans. They can haul a young corn plant to the ground!

Corn wants warm soil. If your UK spring has been anything like ours in the similar climate of the Pacific Northwest, then the corn is probably taking its time, waiting for the soil temperature to climb to over 20°C.

Conversely, beans aren't too particular about temperature. So they often get a head start on the corn.

In the future, you can wait longer to put in your beans, use bush beans, or simply give them a stake to climb on, so they won't go bothering the corn with their growth habit!