Quick look: Three Sisters Garden

I want to take a minute to talk about the three sisters garden. Not just mine, but in general. The three sisters are probably the most famous companion planting combination, in North America at least.  They consist of a tall variety of cobb corn, a climbing pole beans, and squash. They can vary between different varieties of each based on what you need, but these are the three main crops you will need.

Historically,  these three crops were very important to the indigenous people of North America.  All three crops could be dried to provide food all winter and they create a complete diet with carbs, proteins, and vitamins. But the way they interact with each other is what I was most interested in for my purposes.

The thing I find so interesting is that the plants utilize the space the others don't. The corn grows tall but isn't busy. The beans use the corn to climb so they can get more sun and airflow. The squash fills the space below along the ground. But that's not all!

If you haven't tried fried squash blossoms, you're missing out!

Corn has very shallow roots for such a tall plant, and can easily be knocked over by wind. The additional strength of the beans can help support them like guy-wires on a tower. The squash not only helps block weed growth, but also keeps the soil cool, which allows it to hold more moisture. 

 

As a bonus, I added a few cabbages to the outside of the crops, as well as some mache (also known as corn salad) which is a tender green that grows well under corn.