3 season SFGs?

Who gets 3 seasons out of one grid within your SFG? If so, what are the 3 plants in that square? Do you use a cold frame or hoops to extend your seasons?

I'm in Zone 5a, and I'm trying to figure out what plants (our family likes to eat) that could be grown within 3 seasons in one box.

I am a way different climate - southern CA zone 9b. I got 4 crops from some of my squares. We rarely get freezes here.

March planted onions (the ones from HD that come in a bunch), harvested in june(great crop).

Then planted corn that was harvested in august(tasted sooo good).

Then planted sweet potatoes, harvested before Thanksgiving(plants looked great but tubers were small).

Then planted romaine lettuce around New Years which was finally pulled when it bolted last month.

Now my tomaotoes went in in the spring around this time last year and were pulled in february so I could replant the squares.

With 5 months growing season you will be pushing the envelope. However with a few extra boxes you could use some for spring and fall planting and different ones for summer crops. I find - and maybe it is just because they love the MM - that crops produce for a pretty long time and are not in and out in two months. I just pulled out still producing peas that I planted in December. That is 4.5 months. SO my answer is yes you can, but perhaps not in each square.

this is what we have been trying to figure out as well....

i thought one of my box's that i have sugar snap peas, lettuce, spinach, radish, beets and one square of carrots ( havent even sprouted yet) would all be done by the time we needed to plant our (three sisters).....corn, beans and pumpkin.....

well....the radishes will be done....yummy too!....but the peas are just now growing and our lettuce is just at the point where we can harvest some....the spinach still has a ways to go.....

we are suppose to plant beans around may 5th in just a couple of days and the corn goes in around the 18th i believe......so....we may have a change of plans....

we may end up with a three sisters with.... sugar snap peas......corn growing with lettuce and spinach...... and the one square where the radish will be done we will plant the pumpkin hope the beets will be done by the time she is big enough and she can vine out side of the box!

hugs

rose

I am trying a three sisters garden and everything I have seen says to let the corn get 4 inches tall bfor planting your beans so your corn can support it! I hope it all works out for you!

thanks chey

we did a three sisters garden last year ( corn with beans growing up them, squash and pumpkins) in ground not SFG in our back garden and it did really well.....but....we didnt get as many beans as would of liked.....this year we wanted to try a three sisters in one of our SFG box and see how it compares.....this time though we were going to have most of the beans on a trellis....that is where our sugar snap peas are right now.....

so i think we are going to have to figure out where to trellis our beans....

we may end up only putting one corn per square to allow some lettuce to grow with it......

its all good....this is how we learn we really want to learn how to grow as much as we can......we really would love to garden all year around....this year is the first time for hoops too....so excited to see how fall goes and if we can over winter things as well......here in the PNW

hugs

rose

I would get Eliot Coleman's "Four Season Harvest" from the library and read it. He's got many good ideas and he's in zone 5, also. I'm going to be trying some of them myself this year here in Maine.

You do need a cold frame or hoop house with extra insulating factors to grow some things, but he also gives the names of the plants he uses. Don't expect tomatoes and eggplant, but several greens are possible. Good luck.

FamilyGardening wrote:thanks chey

we did a three sisters garden last year ( corn with beans growing up them, squash and pumpkins) in ground not SFG in our back garden and it did really well.....but....we didnt get as many beans as would of liked.....this year we wanted to try a three sisters in one of our SFG box and see how it compares.....this time though we were going to have most of the beans on a trellis....that is where our sugar snap peas are right now.....

so i think we are going to have to figure out where to trellis our beans....

we may end up only putting one corn per square to allow some lettuce to grow with it......

its all good....this is how we learn we really want to learn how to grow as much as we can......we really would love to garden all year around....this year is the first time for hoops too....so excited to see how fall goes and if we can over winter things as well......here in the PNW

hugs

rose

Sounds great, I would be interested in hearing your comparison too!

Mel talks about lettuce in the early spring, bush beans in the summer and beets in the fall.