I plant a small block of corn, a bit larger than what you planted, but similar spacing. I believe pollination is better when more densely planted. We had a pretty good corn harvest last year, but I had to check the silks every day for earwigs.
Fantastic bean trellis. Very aesthetically pleasing and practical too. I'm quite fond of that triangle garden bed - no idea if it might drive one mad trying to get to the bits in the middle, but it brings the conventionally laid parallel beds and the offset greenhouse together. Is the plan to leave the trellis up over winter, or would you dismantle it? (Not sure what your winters are like, if there's a great deal of winds or damp?) I was beginning to wonder exactly how much cardboard you had on hand before you said you'd run out. You have far more patience than me, cutting them up into nice neat squares.
We had a fair bit saved up. The average size of mid size packaging boxes is about the right size for pathways so I simply cut them down the edges as they are folded and took the rough with the smooth as it were. Trellis hopefully will stay up. The bean one has been there a bit, the tomato one is new as you saw me build it.
I've seen the burning of poles to help preserve them in the ground several times and I am going to do it with some posts that will form a dead hedge. Everyone it seems these days calls the process by the Japanese term - sho shugi ban (or however it is spelled), but it was not invented by the Japanese, there are the remains of iron age houses in Scotland that show this charring technique was used back then. Personally I refuse to use the Japanese term when we have a perfectly good British word and centuries of history to go with it. The same goes for tsunami, why have people stopped calling it a tidal wave ! Sorry, just a bit of grumpy old man coming out. Or Korotiotio as i was named by the Maoris.
The word is in Gaelic? Charring is a generic verb where as the Japanese term has a specific application (to char wood in order to preserve) thus it becoming ubiquitous I assume.
@@BalticHomesteaders Were you by any chance a teacher of English and Japanese before moving to Latvia ? 🙂 I'm guessing there's not much call for an Anglo/Gaelic/Japanese/Latvian translation service out there so luckily for you I'm willing to help you keep your hand in.👍
@chrishamilton-wearing3232 ha no I was the usual lazy British language luddite however once you move away languages suddenly become interesting. Also I worked in a language school (some time ago) so surrounded by people talking about they own native tongue.
