This is the first year that we combined the planting of corn, beans and winter squash. Now is the time to look back and review. As I am always explaining to visitors we experiment all the time and sometimes things do not go as we expect. We planted three rows to a bed, the center being corn and beans, and the two outside rows sown to winter squash. All the rows had drip lines laid over them to germinate the seeds. Our finger weeder lifted the drip lines and cultivated around the plants. Papa Ramon spent a couple of days hoeing anything the machine missed.

Beans, these should have grown up the corn. A few did but those were the ones that the cucumber beetles did not eat as they emerged. Corn grew wonderfully well but we need to plant it a month earlier as the 4th of July week is too late to plant around here. Squash, was a great crop, a little on the smaller size because of the competition from the corn. I think next year we need to give a little more water to the crop.

So next year we will plant before we start harvesting the lavender at the beginning of June. It will mean that we have to harvest and bring in the winter squash out of the September sun to stop sun burn. We will still plant more pumpkins and ugly squash for the pumpkin party in October.