Three Sisters Planting Tradition

Try a Native American tradition of planting corn, squash and beans - the three sisters’ method - together in your garden this year.

The Native Americans believed that corn, squash and beans were special gifts from the Great Spirit.  Each of the crops was protected by the spirit of one of the three sisters. These sisters loved and needed each other just like the plants.

Plant the crops in raised areas called “hills” three feet apart.  Each hill contains corn and beans.  Every few hills contain squash.

Mixing crops like this, called interplanting, reduces the risk of insect and disease problems and increases the production.

Plant several seeds of corn in each hill.  Plant the pole beans and squash once the corn is 4 to 6 inches tall.

The corn provides support for the pole beans.  The beans take nitrogen from the air to feed the plants and the squash forms a living mulch.

A bit more information: If space is limited, try planting just a couple of hills and use bush type squash.  You won't be harvesting much sweet corn, but you will have plenty of beans, squash, and memories to share at the end of the season.

Tags

squash corn interplanting pole-beans bush-beans summer-squash winter-squash

Related

Audio

Rotating Plantings in Gardens and Flower Beds

Audio

Relay Planting for Bigger Harvest

Audio

Year of The Garden Bean Celebrates the Various Types

Audio

Grow Gold Dust Aucuba (Aucuba japonica) Indoors

Audio

Goldilocks Squash

Audio

Squash Plants Wilt Suddenly May be Squash Vine Borer

Audio

Garden Fresh Recipe: Ratatouille

Audio

Harvesting Sweet Corn

Audio

Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers, Squash and Other Vine Crops

Audio

Attract Nature’s Vegetarians - Goldfinches to the Garden

• « Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• ...
• 15
• 16
• Next »