The Three Sisters Companion Planting

[cardweaver]

Comments

[vitainpalus]

Cool! Can I add you to my friends list to keep up to date? I've been curious about this method since moving into my own place where I have a yard. :)

[cardweaver]

Please do!

[cindyanne1]

So you plant all three in each hill? That's really interesting.

[cardweaver]

No, just the corn and beans. The squash will get their own mounds in three or so weeks if my memory serves me correctly.

[silverseabear]

I've done this 2 years in a row. I find that the beans always outgrow the corn and need something to climb on before corn gets big enough. What kind of bean are you using? I've tried Blauhilde, yellow saxa beans, those long asian 2-foot beans and English peas. They're all faster than corn, at least here in North Georgia.

[eqfe]

It works best if you give the corn a head start.

[silverseabear]

They got about 12 days on the beans this year. How tall should corn be when I plant beans? Won't I have to worry about disturbing the roots?

[eqfe]

You want the corn a foot tall. You are just pushing the beans into the soil with your finger so it should hurt the roots much.

[eqfe]

I enjoyed the zine. I'm wondering why pumpkins. I usually make my "pumpkin" pies from butternut and acorn squash.

[cardweaver]

Thanks! I think it's because Seminole Pumpkins are one of those weird, misnamed plants. They are squash, but the have pumpkin coloring and taste.

[sheer_catharsis]

Consider also the fourth sister, which is the sunflower. Sunflowers were meant to prevent birds from eating the corn.

[cardweaver]

Ah, I read in "Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden" that they would plant a ring of Sun Flowers around their corn patches, but she didn't say why. Have you done this? We didn't have a problem with birds last year, but this is good to know. Thanks!