Did you know that corn, beans, and squash are called the ‘Three Sisters’. A number of Native American tribes interplanted this trio because they thrive together, much like three inseparable sisters.

The Three Sisters method is companion planting at its best, with three plants growing symbiotically to deter weeds and pests, enrich the soil, and support each other. 

Instead of today’s single rows of a single vegetable, this method of interplanting introduced biodiversity, which does many things—from attracting pollinators to making the land richer instead of stripping it of nutrients. In a sense, we take no more from nature than what we give back.

By the time European settlers arrived in America in the early 1600s, the Iroquois had been growing the “three sisters” for over three centuries. The vegetable trio sustained the Native Americans both physically and spiritually. In legend, the plants were a gift from the gods, always to be grown together, eaten together, and celebrated together.

Each of the sisters contributes something to the planting. Together, the sisters provide a balanced diet from a single planting. 

• As older sisters often do, the corn offers the beans necessary support.
• The pole beans, the giving sister, pull nitrogen from the air and bring it to the soil for the benefit of all three. 
• As the beans grow through the tangle of squash vines and wind their way up the cornstalks into the sunlight, they hold the sisters close together.
• The large leaves of the sprawling squash protect the threesome by creating living mulch that shades the soil, keeping it cool and moist and preventing weeds.
• The prickly squash leaves also keep away  pests, which don’t like to step on them.

There are variations to the Three Sisters method, but the idea is to plant the sisters in clusters on low wide mounds rather than in a single traditional row.

This is an excellent method for organic vegetable farming. Start by planting the corn in late spring. After a few weeks, follow with beans and squash. In the autumn, you’ll have plenty of delicious vegetables to go around.

Article courtesy of: https://www.almanac.com/plant/corn