Three Sisters Companion Planting

Three Sisters Companion Planting. .

1 In spring, prepare the soil by adding fish scraps or wood ash to increase fertility. , 2 Make a mound of soil a foot high and four feet wide. Once the danger of frost has passed, sow six kernels of corn an inch deep and approximately ten inches apart in a 2 foot diameter circle. , 3 When the corn is about 5 inches tall, plant four bean seeds, evenly spaced, around each stalk. , 4 A week later, plant six squash seeds, evenly spaced, around the perimeter of the mound. , 5 After harvest, make three sisters succotash.

, Native Americans have been using the three sisters method of planting since the 1300s, and were thought to pass their wisdom on to the European settlers that arrived three centuries later. The triad of vegetables , corn, beans and squash , provided the Native Americans with physical and spiritual sustenance., Corn provides structure for the beans., Beans pull nitrogen from the air and bring it to the soil. Vines wind and twist towards the sun, binding the three plants together and providing further stability., Squash The large leaves of the sprawling squash provide shade, keeping the soil cool, moist and weed-free. They also create living mulch that shades moist and preventing weeds. The prickly squash leaves keep away animals that don't like to step on them., Together The three sisters provide both sustainable soil fertility as well as a healthy diet.