By Kristen Smeal with planting instructions by Alison Limoges
Many of the techniques used in gardening and farming today were developed by indigenous peoples of a given area. In the Bay Area, the Ohlone (Costanoan) tribes buried fish from the Bay and nearby creeks to fertilize garden crops. Growing corn (maize) in rows to aid pollination came from methods used by Native American tribes of the Northeastern United States. The most popular planting method,called ‘Three Sisters,’ was practiced by the Haudenosaunee (commonly known as Iroquois) tribes of the Great Lakes, Northeast, and Canada.
‘Three Sisters’ is the earliest documented form of companion planting, or planting crops that help each other. The three sisters are Corn, Beans, and Squash. The corn provides a pole (stalk) for the beans to climb. The beans provide nitrogen (an important fertilizer) to the soil and the squash plant acts as a mulch to help keep the soil moist and weeds away. All three of these vegetables together provide a balanced meal and complete protein.
All seeds can be placed directly in the garden soil this time of year according to the depth stated on the seed package. Timing is important because of the necessity to use the corn stalks as support for the beans. Beans grow fast!
Here’s how to plant a ‘Three Sisters’ Garden:
- Build a mound about 2 feet tall and 18 inches in diameter, top of the mound should be at least 10 inches in diameter.
- Plant 4-6 corn kernels (seeds) 6 inches apart on the top of the mound.
- Plant at least 4 beans next to the corn stalks when the corn stalks are knee high.
- Plant at least 8 squash seeds, 2 per hole, around the bottom of the mound when the beans are 6 inches tall.
- Harvest the corn when the tassels turn dark brown and a fingernail inserted into a kernel produces juice.
Click here to watch a video from Old Farmer’s Almanac
Suggested Plants
Beans: Blue Lake, Scarlet Runner, Italian Snap (not bush beans)
Corn: Sweet, dent corn, popcorn, or a combination
Squash: Winter squash (acorn, butternut, pumpkin) or Summer (zucchini, yellow), combination
Fourth “sister” for pollination: sunflower, bee balm
Photo credit: Alison Limoges
Growing notes:
- Grow in an area with no less than 6 hours of sunlight a day
- Pick beans to encourage consistent production.
- Cover corn ears with paper bags to keep pests from eating them.
To buy seeds from Soutwestern tribes, check out Native Seeds/SEARCH here.
American Heart Association ‘Three Sisters’ Soup recipe here.
For more on succession and interplanting, read this post.