Three Sisters Garden Design
When maize crops grow and attain some specific height squash followed by beans are planted around the maize crop.
Three sisters garden design. Story of the three native american sisters. How you lay out the three sisters plants in your garden will depend on how much space you have and what shape it is. In some areas mexico being one of these there is a tradition of growing four sisters together rather than three.
The three sisters way of planting originated with the haudenosaunee tribe. When planted together the three sisters work together to help one another thrive and survive. The corn provides support the climbing pole beans add nitrogen to the soil through nitrogen fixation and the squash protects all the sisters in a two fold fashion.
In terms of timing it s important that the upright crop has a two to three week head start if it is to serve as a good support for. Utilizing the corn beans and squash together in your garden draws upon centuries of native american agricultural traditions and expertise. When you plant a three sisters garden you help to bring an ancient culture to life.
Read on to learn how corn beans and squash grow together in perfect harmony. Plant a three sisters garden each native culture that grew the three sisters had a unique planting system. I suggest two simple patterns below both of which i have used and which are able to be repeated if you have a larger space.
Plan and select a site. And there s even more to the three sisters history of a cultivation method. By melissa kruse peeples education coordinator for many native american communities three seeds corn beans and squash represent the most important crops.
Let s look at growing corn with squash and beans. Sister number four is cleome serrulate rocky mountain bee plant. The three sisters planting technique utilizes corn climbing beans and squash.