The Iroquois Indians invented the three sisters’ garden design, as a way of maximizing plant growth through beneficial plant relationships. The three sisters’ garden is an approach to companion planting in which beans, corn, and squash are planted together to utilize the benefits of each plant in conjunction.
Benefits of a Three Sisters’ Garden
Corn provides a sturdy stalk for the bean plant to climb up and can be used in place of stakes or fences helping to maximize the space in the garden. Additionally, corn can provide shade to the squash plants, which thrive in partially shaded areas. The shade helps to deter the blossoms from wilting and the leaves from turning yellow. As most gardeners know, squash is notorious for being an excellent ground cover, helping to cool the soil and retain moisture. Thus, planting squash around the corn and beans will help them to grow healthier and happier.
The squash plant can spread its vines outwards up to six feet. With its wide leaves covering the soil, it can eliminate the need for mulching. The bean plant is what is known as a nitrogen fixer, meaning that it possesses the ability to take in the nitrogen from the air and transfer it through its root system into the soil, enabling the nitrogen to be utilized by other plants. Since corn is known to require extra nitrogen to flourish, planting beans nearby the corn can eliminate the need for extra fertilizers and synthetic plant nutrients.
A three sisters’ garden is designed with the intention of being nearly labor free. There is no need for mulching as the squash leaves provide shade, moisture retention, and some weed suppression. Watering requirements will be minimized, as squash will help to slow the rates of evaporation. You can eliminate the step of planting stakes near the bean plants, as the corn will provide this. Most importantly, there will be little need to fertilize, as the beans will help to provide extra nitrogen to aid the growth of the other plants.
Three Sisters’ Garden Layout
Growing three sisters is easy to do, as the plants do most of the work for you. The corn should be planted first, with the beans and squash being planted when the corn has reached an approximate height of four inches. Space the corn about six to eight feet apart to leave room for the squash and beans. The beans should be planted a distance of about six to eight inches from the corn stalk, close enough that it can climb the stalk easily but far enough away so that the corn doesn’t shade it out. When planting the squash, plant each seed directly in the center of each corn stalk, to provide it maximum space to spread its vines.