Three Sisters Garden Design

Each plant serves a purpose in this design.

Three sisters garden design. Design and sowing corn. A three sisters garden consists of corn beans and some type of gourd squash pumpkin melon that are interplanted. The three sisters garden is an american indian tradition that was introduced to to the english pilgrims after making their way to the new world. Click here to see a layout for a 12x12 foot 4 square meter traditional three sisters garden using the growveg planner.

The three sisters planting technique utilizes corn climbing beans and squash. Update glass gem corn amaranth wild squash 3 sisters native american garden back to eden. As a result only half of the 102 pilgrim settlers survived their first winter. The three sisters a legend diversity how to plant the three sisters activities information evaluation experience a haudenosaunee garden in this section you will learn how to plant the three sisters according to haudenosaunee custom.

These notes are a detailed guide to the basic planting system we used to pioneer our farm. A three native american sisters garden is a great way to get kids interested in history and gardens. In fact its. What is a three sisters garden.

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. This trio of important crops came to be known as a three sisters garden and is one of north americas oldest forms of companion planting plant friendship. Around the 1300s the iroquois nations around the great lakes began planting corn beans and squash together. It was innovated and improved in american soil over many centuries.

This gardening method was invented by native american indians more than 1000 years ago. Instead of todays single rows of a single vegetable this method of interplanting introduced biodiversity which does many thingsfrom attracting pollinators to making the land richer instead of stripping it of nutrients. When they landed they had very little knowledge of farming or how to survive in their new surroundings. Growing corn with squash and beans is not only fun but educational too.

Each plant serves a purpose in this design. In terms of varieties you can preserve the historic dimension of the three sisters by using heirloom varieties or you can add updated varieties to the mix. Essential steps for cultivating the perfect 3 sisters permaculture garden.