Three Sisters - Grow Your Own

If you’ve ever thought of growing your own food you may have imagined straight rows of lettuce, carrots, and beetroot and nearby tomatoes and beans climbing up bamboo canes.

In a smaller space why not try companion planting like The Three sisters?

The Three Sisters is an ancient method of gardening using an intercropping system which grows corn, beans, and squash crops simultaneously in the same growing area, usually a mound of soil.

Corn is the oldest sister. She stands tall in the centre.

Beans are the next sister. She climbs up corn as she reaches for the sun. Beans help keep the soil fertile by coverting the sun’s energy into nitrogen filled nodules that grow on its roots. As beans grow they use the stored nitrogen as food.

Squash is the next sister. She grows over the mound, protecting her sisters from weeds and shades the soil from the sun with her leaves, keeping it cool and moist.

Watch the video below for more information.