Well my ancestors the maya sow 10 corn 6 bean and 3 squash in one space. It haves a meaning that goes like this. Corn: 3 for your left hand 3 for your right hand and 4 for your mouth. 3 for the sun rise 4 for noon and 3 for sunset. The 3 of your right shall be for resow the 4 of your mouth is for making tortilla, the 3 of your left is to be eating and not dried. In other words 3 will be eating fresh while the others 7 will be dried. For storing and resowing same goes for the bean and squash. There's more!
I grow 3 sisters every year, because it’s the least effort, needs no extra water and is highly productive. Hopi blue corn, Sibley storage squash and borlotti beans. At the end of the season it’s like Christmas- what will I find?😀 one of the most productive areas of our garden. Just choose your heritage varieties wisely.
I so agree with you 🌱😊❤️ Absolutely get good heritage seeds! My tribe and many members often sell them even on Etsy! There are so many beautiful variations. Very cool❤️
Thanks for elaborating. I recently saw a small documentary on how the 3 sisters is used in 3 different methods. I was planning on trying this method in my garden this season to sea how well it would produce. I'm looking to grow and learn how to save for layer as we as for fresh produce.
I'm planning on doing it this hear with Oaxacan green dent corn, Tarbais beans, and Burgess Buttercups. I'm excited to see how productive it is. What spacings do you use?
@@MrRemakes 4’ between corn and bean mounds I found a really good article about the different ways different tribes planned their 3 sisters, I’ll try to find the link for you!
Ive had great success with the 3 sisters method. 8-10 stalks of sweet corn, Mayflower or Cherokee beans and Summer Squash. All fresh veg. My mounds are about 4 feet across by about 8 inches high. Mulched with straw and grass clippings. I'm doing 10 mounds this year.
My wife is Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Native American), and we decided to try one this coming year after seeing last year's video. She's pretty excited about it, since it's her ancestors who came up with this method. Anyhow, she suggested that we grow popcorn because it's a variety that you leave on the plant until fully dry. We bought a few hundred seeds of a variety called "strawberry" because the cobs are small and red. We're pretty excited about this. :-)
It might be too late now, but just my $.02; the corn stalk needs to be a very strong, substantial variety to not be overwhelmed by the beans. The strawberry popcorn I've grown is a pretty small plant.
Makes sense. I grow dried corn, dried beans and storage pumpkins. Interesting how our modern gardening ideas have changed the way we view older methods. When I tell people I am growing corn, they invariably think "sweet," but I grow dent varieties for flour and don't bother with sweet corn. Good explanation.
We always planted the sweet corn first waited until it was up about 3 weeks then planted 1-2 greenbelt seeds about 3-4 inches from the corn. We harvested fresh beans and corn not seed corn or dry beans. That would be at end of season for the next years garden. Had no problems.
We grew a large 3 sisters garden in our master garden demo garden the past 2 years, yes popcorn, dried bean varieties and we included both pumpkins and winter squashes. The harvests were amazing. We used the mound method to plant. Next year we will reduce the number of beans we seed per mound from 8 to 4 . Each mound had 4 corn, 2 squash and 2 beans / corn stalk. In a couple mounds, the beans pushed the corn over and required a stake for the corn. Try it again, someday
Came into the video expecting an opinionated emotional viewpoint and learned something invaluable as I plan my garden. Thank you for sharing this, I have done research on this gardening method and have not seen this ANYWHERE.
Thank you for clarifying this. I want to try the Three sisters in the future. However, I figured that it wasn't for fresh corn-on-the- cob kind of corn or zucchini or summer squash. It's for the hard grains and beans.
My great uncle did this years ago. Only one bean plant per corn plant and he used field corn that would get upward tp 7 feet tall. Squash was yellow squash and they were planted about every 6-8 feet and given ample space. I added sweet corn in with my bush beans this year..
You also need the correct variety of corn and beans. You want a corn that has a substantial stock. You want beans that aren't that aggressive. You primarily plant the squash around the outside as a fence to keep the deer out. Modern crop rotation works better. But the three sisters method does work where it rains in the summer and when you don't have any fencing material and are looking for dried products at the end of the season
Very true. I grow the "three sisters" for exactly that reason though I do manage to harvest ejote (green beans) & elote (maiz/corn) from the edges of the plot without getting tangled up in the vines
Very understandable! I've been experimenting with the 3 sisters for several years, and have discovered that several things are crucial; timing of planting, (corn must have several inches of head start before planting beans and squash) spacing of plants, (corn MUST be spaced MUCH farther apart than when monocropping) and plant variety, (corn must have a substantial stalk, beans must be the pole type, and squash must be the sprawling, non-bush type). And you are right, once everything gets growing, forget about getting in there to pick green beans or summer squash without trampling it all. Also, the soil must be well-fertilized to feed all those hungry plants. Supposedly, squash vines deter raccoons, so I'm going to try it with sweet corn this year. Hopefully the bean vines will not bind the ears so to the stalk so tightly that we cannot pick them.
This is A#1 example of why I (and I imagine many others) find your channel invaluable. You provide accessible, intelligent, and practical information, and experienced guidance. Thank you SO much for what you do.
@@NextLevelGardening if you see this I want to ask a question. My winterized Jalepeño plant has quite a bit of growth on it. Do I need to trim that off before putting back in the garden or should I leave it on. Thanks in advance.
I’m so glad I watched this video. You saved me a lot of failure and disaster! I was literally just getting ready to plant a Three Sister’s garden in my 4X4 raised bed. Thanks for the save😊
My mothers tribes have used this method forever and ever. However, we also grew different things in different areas lol. I mean it’s a good method but not for everything to be planted under or in. As a Native American woman, I beg you plz try and get good native heritage seeds! Beautiful colors and tribal variations that are for and from certain areas.I never had issues raising my heritage seeds in my home state but moving to the desert was a challenge! Really I was not experienced at 1st with getting the regional blue corn heritage to flourish.I got it but it was a bit more taxing. You definitely should Grow your other produce in a different area,trust me my ancestors did. We only used the 3 sisters for that and well if kinda cut back-it produces amazing direct cover/shade also! Many tribes used raised gardens for other crops. The three sisters are for just that...we sustained ourselves and are alive from the 3 sister plants and have all different methods of cooking it. Yakoke (Thank You)for reading this.
@@Ekrapf21 Late to the draw, but I recently found a site called 'Alliance of Native Seed Keepers.' I can't say w/ absolute certainty that they're a good variety, as I'm realizing it may not be a good starter crop, & i only got a few of them & want to wait till i'm more confident in my gardening abilities. But it's specifically the Cherokee Trail of Tears bean, & I plan to grow it w/ Cherokee candy roaster squash (look this one up, it looks awesome) & glass gem corn. The corn is admittedly a newer hybrid but carry the genetics of ones that used to be grown. They also sell other rare vegetable varieties, originating in places like China. But be VERY careful when literally growing ANYTHING from the Southeast, as they're the most aggressive & invasive if you plant them in-ground. Sounds like a good idea to have food growing all over, but trust me: you'll regret it. Irony is plants from that part of the world are quite threatening to the local environments. I'm currently trying to rid my property of incredibly invasive & prolific trees & shrubs that produce red berries incredibly fatal to birds, its poisoning being violent & agonizing. Explains why we suddenly don't have that many birds in our yard. I want to help keep native wildlife alive, but it's so overwhelmed by stuff like this, & it makes me crazy when I see such plants actively being sold online (the ornamentals mostly,) & buyers who aren't more aware of what they're buying. But it's worth supporting them (ANSK) in general, as it goes to native tribes trying to keep their cultures alive, & if you stuck just to the veggies & grew them in a contained space like a raised beds or grow bag or in a green house, i imagine that would be fine.
dont be stupid and lay claim to stuff like everybody today. the 3 sisters method has been used all over the world wherever people were, practically. Except maybe some tribal, hunter-gatherer-dominated african areas where they just didn't farm. People have noticed a boost to their crops planted beside a legume as long as there have been legumes and phytobacteria. It isn't an indian thing. if you go out and do some farming, in 10 years you'll be planting beans with your corn in some area of your farm.
FYI, for chickens, I use all my scraps from the bottoms of celery and romaine lettuce :) I make a clean cut at the bottom of the scraps, put them in a little container with water. Once they grow a few roots, I put them in the grown & they grow! I use the celery leaves that grow in soups also. The lettuce, I just give to the chickens.
@@growagarden54 I use all sorts of kitchen scraps, and any veggies that I harvest late. Also, watermelon rinds, squash rind, all of it. Thank you for the idea to root celery. Hadn't thought of that!!
Gotta pant corn and wait then beans then waont then squash. I did all at once last year and it did pull my corn over however everything still grew great and we still harvested several times
Me *literally* 10 minutes ago: “Honey! I’m gonna do the 3 Sisters method for our corn and beans this year! I think Next Level Gardening just did a video on it, I’ma check it out.” 5 minutes later: “...Never mind.” 😅 THANK YOU for this invaluable follow-up!
Thanks for clarifying! I'm already planning this year's planting scheme, and this helps me make a decision - my squash are going in their own area, away from beans, and I probably won't bother with corn at all. Stay well!!
Thanks, this is good advice, I am going to start experimenting in 2024, I actually like the idea of dry storage that appeals to me more, but now I may mix things up with different beans and other vegetables in surrounding area. Having dried foods on hand is very important.
great explanation... and this is exactly why I feel most people have a less than great experience with the three sisters... all three varieties are for growing in a wide open space and with natural food storage for the winter as the primary objective... green beans and sweet corn was never the goal...
I've don't the three sister's with sweet corn, pole bean, and butternut squash and it came out great. You planted too many bean pole for one the corn stocks and your corn needed to have more space apart. One bean pole per corn stock. One squash plant per group. Butternut does every well.
I am so glad I saw this! I want fresh, and I don't want to waste a growing season to find out the truth. I will use my limited space in a more efficient manner thanks to you.
I planted pink eye purple hull peas around 2 sides of a 4x4 bed and planted corn in the rest of it (4/square). The peas were supposed to be bush, but turned out to be semi-bush so some of them climbed the corn. The leaves prevented pollen from getting to all of the ears of corn so I had poor pollination (snaggled-toothed ears). I also would not recommend planting corn 4/square. It's own leaves covered a lot of the ears and interfered with pollination. I planted Six Shooter corn which was supposed to have as many as 6 ears per stalk. However, although it is still popping out ears, the tassles seem to be dry and done for the season, so these new ears are unlikely to get pollinated at all. Planting corn this thickly makes it hard to water and fertilize also. Next year, I'll plant corn 1-2/square and maybe try Silver Queen.
I actually have it planned out for my spring garden. Didn't realize it wasn't for fresh produce, though! But, luckily for me, I chose to do popcorn, which dries out on the stalk anyways. 2 types of beans are for dry beans. And then the 2 peas I chose, I guess we'll see how it works out!!!! I have enough space for my spaghetti squash and sugar pumpkins to grow on the ground--outside of the garden bed--if needbe. So, I guess we'll see how it goes!! I didn't know it's meant for dried produce, though, originally!! Thanks for sharing. I haven't encountered that information yet, so it's good to know
@@kevinbossick8374 I'm doing high intensity gardening and have limited space as of right now--even though we have a large front and back yard lol. I'm gonna try it and see how it goes for me. Glad to hear it worked with your fresh corn!! I wanna try my hand at sorgham and loofa, too. I heard that you can grow peas and beans with both of those, too.
@@dependentongod4ever I started peas this fall for the first time. They are growing good, and have harvested quite a bit. I can't wait to start spring planting.
@@kevinbossick8374 That's awesome. What kind did you plant? I have mammoth and spring blush that I'm going to be planting for the spring. I can't wait to start, either. I have a few more months, still, though. End of March I should be able to start a couple of my plants indoors from seed.
@@dependentongod4ever It was Spring Blush. Depending on where you live, peas like cool weather. That is why I planted in the fall, and still harvesting here in southern CA.
I had the same issues a few years ago when I tried. The beans completely choked out the corn. I thought maybe my timing on planting was off. But seeing it as grain corn makes a lot more sense. Same as you, I won't be doing it again, but it was a good experiment.
I planted pole beans to go up cattle panel the whole way down the garden, on the one side of the trellis is 5 feet across and like 20 ft down of sweet corn is planted. Down from those, rest of the 20 ft I planted my cucumbers to go up panel, pumpkins on one side and on the other side is all my sqaush and zuchinni with plenty of room. I hope to keep it clean and not a jungle! We also used wooven ground fabric in the garden this year. Wish us luck!
It can be for fresh eating. Just choose appropriate beans that won't overtake the corn. If you want sweet corn, select a variety that is low growing and use a bush bean and have a couple paths in there where you can reach over and pop off the sweet corn. I harvest the fresh beans along the outside. I also have between 3, some years 4 different beds. One using popcorn type corn, then a flour type corn and a sweet corn variety.
It would be interesting to grow the ancient, heirloom varieties of grain corn, beans and winter squash just to relive the experience of what native Americans did. I may do that in our neighborhood garden as a learning experience for the neighborhood kids. They love the garden and we get together to choose what gets planted every season.
@@richards5110 That’s very cool. Are they planting modern hybrids or have the open-pollinated seeds been passed down from generation to generation. Do you know if all tribes practiced 3 sisters growing or was it confined to certain areas of the continent? I would love to obtain heirloom seeds for the varieties they plant.
@@farmerbob4554 the practice was widespread in the tribes of the Iriqous nation, but it was used by many other tribes and peoples. There are indigenous organizations working to preserve and spread old heirloom varieties. One famous one you might have heard of is glass gem corn, developed by a Cherokee man to redevelop and connect to the ancient varieties of his people.
@@richards5110 I grew up near the Seneca Nation reservation in Salamanca, NY and remember seeing them growing the three sisters. I live in California now and occasionally drive through the Paiute reservation but have never seen similar agriculture. Regardless it’s something I’d like to try growing using heirloom seeds. Thanks for the information.
@@farmerbob4554 The Hopi and Navaho are still using desert-farming techniques and varieties their ancestors have used for centuries. For some communities, it makes up a substantial part of their diet. A trip through the "Four Corners" area is fascinating, and some indigenous people do sell produce to visitors, so I imagine they'd sell seed, too. The three sisters (and most other crops) were common throughout North and South America. One thing to remember in obtaining heirloom seeds is that the varieties native to the area do best. For instance, a "120 day" corn common in Arizona may not do well in Minnesota. However, organizations like Seed Savers Exchange, whom I've bought seed from, sell many heirloom, open-pollinated varieties.
I still say that those three crops corn beans and squash are a great thing to rotate if you have three medium sized beds one filled with corn one filled with beans one filled with squash and rotate them every year it works out fairly well.
Thank you! I was planning on trying 3 sisters this year as a means of saving space to grow fresh vegetables. I'm so glad you shared this and spared me the frustration. Now on to a plan B, yet to be decided. 🙂
Thank you for that explanation. Now I understand why my 3 Sisters garden didn't work well either and that it wasn't something I did. I just couldn't figure out where I went wrong. Good to know.
Thank you for this. I was feeling like a schmuck for hating the 3 sister's planting method...I did it this season, 2023, to try something different and maybe more efficient in production and I find the same thing, corn being smothered and bent over by beans, I feel sad for the corn...I do not plan on doing this again.
Instead of squash which I grow at a different location. I planted sunflower and the beans are climbing the sunflowers. Good thing because the extreme heat stunted the corn it is only 2-3 feet tall.
I've tried it a few times and have been somewhat unsuccessful. I only grow the beans on the perimeter corn stalks though and not the middle. I've done both fresh and dry beans and haven't had any problems. I only plant a couple beans around each perimeter stalk. I do grow the grain corn though. So growing those two together has been pretty successful. I've not had much luck growing squash with those two sisters though as the corn seems to shade the squash too much. Maybe I will try one more time growing the squash on the north end of the corn where it gets the most sun.
I have done it, but I was growing dent corn on purpose. It did not occur to me that it would not work for fresh produce other than squash, because I never set out to do that. Somehow I always assumed one could do it for fresh produce, but I can see how that would not work. Good insight.
You probably just saved us from a very difficult and disappointing lesson this season. We will try the technique, but with popcorn and beans for drying. One factoid I just learned (from GrowVeg) and want to share is that fertilizers high in nitrogen will soften corn stalks, making them more susceptible to breaking and bending. Thanks for the helpful share!
Great advice! Thanks for sharing your honest experience to save me from the headache. I had read about the 3 sisters planting and had it on my list to try. Crossed OFF now. Thanks again! 👍😎
I tried it once knowing it was not for fresh harvesting and ran into the same problem. The beans overwhelmed the corn stalks and broke most of them, and I I was constantly fighting the squash vines to keep them from climbing the corn stalks. Major PIA.
thank you for the informative to the point video. When I grow in my garden and pick something I want to eat it that day or within a few not store for the great depression. I was considering planting corn with sugar snap peas didnt even consider it will choke the corn.
the thing is you have to look at it as companion planting as beans corn and squash feed or support each other providing natural nutrients. You dont have to have the bean growing up the corn you plant a two rows of corn diagonally or vertically plant the beans in the middle with a string trellis so they grow up the string not the corn and the squash in the corners it is very organized and self fertilized and ground cover they compliment each other. I prefer the four sister method i always add sunflowers. thanks
Something I noticed in one of my searching videos about? 3 sisters garden is that they put only squash in the middle of the corn plantings so that there was no squash on the outer edge. That should actually make it easier to get to the beans to pick.
Now THIS was helpful. Garden gurus who just do positive how-tos are fine, but what I really need is for someone to tell me what can go wrong before I waste a whole growing season making the same mistake they did.
I thought about it…but then envisioned the tangled mess that would ensue and decided I wasn’t up for that. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge on the matter. As much as I like to grow for long term storage, I also like to have access to fresh on the spot eating.
Thank you so much for your informative and wonderful videos. I loved growing the three sisters and it did okay as far as amount of produce goes, (sweet corn 6-7ft variety, cow peas and summer squash), but, I had issues with humidity causing a fungal growth on straightneck and zucchini and squash bugs were hard to control. The peas did wonderfully and the corn did 'not too bad'. I plan on trying a bush bean variety amongst my sweet corn with a dash of annual clover this year. You've intrigued a desire to try out a pop corn, cow pea, winter squash with beneficial flowers in a chaos style garden layout. Thank you.
I'm planning to start at least the 2 sisters, namely Corn and Beans. We have mung beans, which is a low-growing plant. It's not "overly viney". This might work well with the corn.
Thank you and I agree! I bought 2 huge Costco containers last spring and grew corn, beans and squash in them and they were a huge, disappointing mess....much like you described! This year I will just grow corn in them! ✅
#alrightythen. I had heard bout the 3 sisters method and the benefits to the soil, etc., and among the various videos I have watched, had realized that at best i would only be doing a modified version of it. having watched THIS vid, though, I think I will just be planting my corn standalone in one raised bed ( have about 35 germinated seeds which i'll be transplanting in a couple of weeks - they're about three inches now), and the beans and squash in a cardboard/compost/mulch bed on their own. Thanks. Have always enjoyed your videos.
My beans always grow faster than my corn, but is awesome for tethering the corn in the wind. But yeah, I much rather grow the crops seperate for fresh eating.
Hey just found your channel a few days ago. Really enjoying all the tips I've grown tomatos all my life, but this year I'm stepping up my game to 4. 2x8x2 raised beds. 2 of which will only be tomatoes I'm attempting to be self sufficient for tomatoes for an entire year. Thanks again
Thanks for explaining the three sisters to me! I'll keep this in mind if I decide to try it. I'm interested but I honestly don't think I have the space to let the squash sprawl around
I read that asparagus and strawberries grow very nice together, the PROBLEM it's hard to harvest strawberries because the asparagus grow very tall and dense.
I came across this video in a Google search for whether I can do only corn and beans. Thank you for the video! We want fresh produce, so we won't waste our time doing it this way :)
Well my ancestors the maya sow 10 corn 6 bean and 3 squash in one space. It haves a meaning that goes like this. Corn: 3 for your left hand 3 for your right hand and 4 for your mouth. 3 for the sun rise 4 for noon and 3 for sunset. The 3 of your right shall be for resow the 4 of your mouth is for making tortilla, the 3 of your left is to be eating and not dried. In other words 3 will be eating fresh while the others 7 will be dried. For storing and resowing same goes for the bean and squash. There's more!
Thank you!
Wish I could ❤ this comment a billion times.
Math dont math
Thank you
@@swirledworld340the length of time it took me to math this (19 vs 20 right?) 😅😂
I grow 3 sisters every year, because it’s the least effort, needs no extra water and is highly productive. Hopi blue corn, Sibley storage squash and borlotti beans. At the end of the season it’s like Christmas- what will I find?😀 one of the most productive areas of our garden. Just choose your heritage varieties wisely.
I so agree with you 🌱😊❤️
Absolutely get good heritage seeds!
My tribe and many members often sell them even on Etsy! There are so many beautiful variations. Very cool❤️
Thanks for elaborating. I recently saw a small documentary on how the 3 sisters is used in 3 different methods. I was planning on trying this method in my garden this season to sea how well it would produce. I'm looking to grow and learn how to save for layer as we as for fresh produce.
I have tried it a few times. Doesn't produce as much as traditional.
I'm planning on doing it this hear with Oaxacan green dent corn, Tarbais beans, and Burgess Buttercups. I'm excited to see how productive it is. What spacings do you use?
@@MrRemakes 4’ between corn and bean mounds I found a really good article about the different ways different tribes planned their 3 sisters, I’ll try to find the link for you!
Ive had great success with the 3 sisters method. 8-10 stalks of sweet corn, Mayflower or Cherokee beans and Summer Squash. All fresh veg. My mounds are about 4 feet across by about 8 inches high. Mulched with straw and grass clippings. I'm doing 10 mounds this year.
My wife is Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Native American), and we decided to try one this coming year after seeing last year's video. She's pretty excited about it, since it's her ancestors who came up with this method. Anyhow, she suggested that we grow popcorn because it's a variety that you leave on the plant until fully dry. We bought a few hundred seeds of a variety called "strawberry" because the cobs are small and red. We're pretty excited about this. :-)
Duuh, dried beans, the corn is made into hominy, and squash is used for soup! Guess you have to have Native common sense! 😆🤷♀️
I personally like to dry out our corn to make corn soup.
Strawberry popcorn is great. I grew that variety a few years ago.
It might be too late now, but just my $.02; the corn stalk needs to be a very strong, substantial variety to not be overwhelmed by the beans. The strawberry popcorn I've grown is a pretty small plant.
How did your crop go?
Thank you for your honesty. I was literally preparing to plant this garden this week. You totally saved me from disappointment.
This type of gardening is a plant it and leave it till harvest kind of gardening, to store and eat over the winter.
Makes sense. I grow dried corn, dried beans and storage pumpkins. Interesting how our modern gardening ideas have changed the way we view older methods. When I tell people I am growing corn, they invariably think "sweet," but I grow dent varieties for flour and don't bother with sweet corn. Good explanation.
Which variety do you grow for flour? Thank you!
I want ya to try again so bad! But with individual lil mounds, not a field full!
Great explanation! Love your channel....
We always planted the sweet corn first waited until it was up about 3 weeks then planted 1-2 greenbelt seeds about 3-4 inches from the corn. We harvested fresh beans and corn not seed corn or dry beans. That would be at end of season for the next years garden. Had no problems.
Exactly. The issue is timing. If the corn gets established early enough, you'll get fresh food from all 3 sisters.
We grew a large 3 sisters garden in our master garden demo garden the past 2 years, yes popcorn, dried bean varieties and we included both pumpkins and winter squashes. The harvests were amazing. We used the mound method to plant. Next year we will reduce the number of beans we seed per mound from 8 to 4 . Each mound had 4 corn, 2 squash and 2 beans / corn stalk. In a couple mounds, the beans pushed the corn over and required a stake for the corn. Try it again, someday
Short, directly to the point and informative! Just learned something I´ve never been thinking about before. Good to know.
Came into the video expecting an opinionated emotional viewpoint and learned something invaluable as I plan my garden.
Thank you for sharing this, I have done research on this gardening method and have not seen this ANYWHERE.
You're welcome
Thank you for clarifying this. I want to try the Three sisters in the future. However, I figured that it wasn't for fresh corn-on-the- cob kind of corn or zucchini or summer squash. It's for the hard grains and beans.
My great uncle did this years ago. Only one bean plant per corn plant and he used field corn that would get upward tp 7 feet tall. Squash was yellow squash and they were planted about every 6-8 feet and given ample space. I added sweet corn in with my bush beans this year..
You also need the correct variety of corn and beans. You want a corn that has a substantial stock. You want beans that aren't that aggressive. You primarily plant the squash around the outside as a fence to keep the deer out. Modern crop rotation works better. But the three sisters method does work where it rains in the summer and when you don't have any fencing material and are looking for dried products at the end of the season
Very true. I grow the "three sisters" for exactly that reason though I do manage to harvest ejote (green beans) & elote (maiz/corn) from the edges of the plot without getting tangled up in the vines
Very understandable! I've been experimenting with the 3 sisters for several years, and have discovered that several things are crucial; timing of planting, (corn must have several inches of head start before planting beans and squash) spacing of plants, (corn MUST be spaced MUCH farther apart than when monocropping) and plant variety, (corn must have a substantial stalk, beans must be the pole type, and squash must be the sprawling, non-bush type). And you are right, once everything gets growing, forget about getting in there to pick green beans or summer squash without trampling it all. Also, the soil must be well-fertilized to feed all those hungry plants. Supposedly, squash vines deter raccoons, so I'm going to try it with sweet corn this year. Hopefully the bean vines will not bind the ears so to the stalk so tightly that we cannot pick them.
This is A#1 example of why I (and I imagine many others) find your channel invaluable. You provide accessible, intelligent, and practical information, and experienced guidance. Thank you SO much for what you do.
Thank you 🙂
@@NextLevelGardening if you see this I want to ask a question. My winterized Jalepeño plant has quite a bit of growth on it. Do I need to trim that off before putting back in the garden or should I leave it on. Thanks in advance.
I’m so glad I watched this video. You saved me a lot of failure and disaster! I was literally just getting ready to plant a Three Sister’s garden in my 4X4 raised bed. Thanks for the save😊
Pop corn, Anasazi beans and a squash native to the America's. Not today's hybrids.
My mothers tribes have used this method forever and ever. However, we also grew different things in different areas lol.
I mean it’s a good method but not for everything to be planted under or in. As a Native American woman, I beg you plz try and get good native heritage seeds! Beautiful colors and tribal variations that are for and from certain areas.I never had issues raising my heritage seeds in my home state but moving to the desert was a challenge! Really I was not experienced at 1st with getting the regional blue corn heritage to flourish.I got it but it was a bit more taxing. You definitely should Grow your other produce in a different area,trust me my ancestors did. We only used the 3 sisters for that and well if kinda cut back-it produces amazing direct cover/shade also! Many tribes used raised gardens for other crops. The three sisters are for just that...we sustained ourselves and are alive from the 3 sister plants and have all different methods of cooking it.
Yakoke (Thank You)for reading this.
Any suggestions on where to find heritage seeds?
WHERE CAN I FIND THESE SEEDS
@@Ekrapf21 I just ordered some from Seed Trust in Grand Junction, CO. You can find then online.
I am trying to find three sister seeds native to South Central Kentucky. Would you happen to know how we can attain them? Thanks
@@Ekrapf21 Late to the draw, but I recently found a site called 'Alliance of Native Seed Keepers.' I can't say w/ absolute certainty that they're a good variety, as I'm realizing it may not be a good starter crop, & i only got a few of them & want to wait till i'm more confident in my gardening abilities. But it's specifically the Cherokee Trail of Tears bean, & I plan to grow it w/ Cherokee candy roaster squash (look this one up, it looks awesome) & glass gem corn. The corn is admittedly a newer hybrid but carry the genetics of ones that used to be grown.
They also sell other rare vegetable varieties, originating in places like China. But be VERY careful when literally growing ANYTHING from the Southeast, as they're the most aggressive & invasive if you plant them in-ground. Sounds like a good idea to have food growing all over, but trust me: you'll regret it. Irony is plants from that part of the world are quite threatening to the local environments. I'm currently trying to rid my property of incredibly invasive & prolific trees & shrubs that produce red berries incredibly fatal to birds, its poisoning being violent & agonizing. Explains why we suddenly don't have that many birds in our yard. I want to help keep native wildlife alive, but it's so overwhelmed by stuff like this, & it makes me crazy when I see such plants actively being sold online (the ornamentals mostly,) & buyers who aren't more aware of what they're buying.
But it's worth supporting them (ANSK) in general, as it goes to native tribes trying to keep their cultures alive, & if you stuck just to the veggies & grew them in a contained space like a raised beds or grow bag or in a green house, i imagine that would be fine.
That method was used by indigenous in the Americas, as you said is used to storage, so we can have food in winter :)
dont be stupid and lay claim to stuff like everybody today.
the 3 sisters method has been used all over the world wherever people were, practically. Except maybe some tribal, hunter-gatherer-dominated african areas where they just didn't farm.
People have noticed a boost to their crops planted beside a legume as long as there have been legumes and phytobacteria.
It isn't an indian thing. if you go out and do some farming, in 10 years you'll be planting beans with your corn in some area of your farm.
This would be perfect to grow food for my chickens! I'm trying to get away from commercial feed. Thank you for the inspiration!
FYI, for chickens, I use all my scraps from the bottoms of celery and romaine lettuce :) I make a clean cut at the bottom of the scraps, put them in a little container with water. Once they grow a few roots, I put them in the grown & they grow! I use the celery leaves that grow in soups also. The lettuce, I just give to the chickens.
@@growagarden54 I use all sorts of kitchen scraps, and any veggies that I harvest late. Also, watermelon rinds, squash rind, all of it. Thank you for the idea to root celery. Hadn't thought of that!!
Just remember beans are poisonous uncooked, even for chickens.
@@stefantrethan Then how do people eat them straight from the garden?
@@norascott5803 I have no idea, I guess they just don't eat enough to get sick? About a fifth of all food poisonings are from undercooked beans.
Thank you. I didn't know that. Just like you I prefer to eat fresh.
Gotta pant corn and wait then beans then waont then squash. I did all at once last year and it did pull my corn over however everything still grew great and we still harvested several times
Thanks for the info. Nothing that I've never seen mentioned when people talk about this method.
Me *literally* 10 minutes ago: “Honey! I’m gonna do the 3 Sisters method for our corn and beans this year! I think Next Level Gardening just did a video on it, I’ma check it out.”
5 minutes later: “...Never mind.” 😅 THANK YOU for this invaluable follow-up!
Lol. Sorry but it's true 👍🏻
Hahaha 😆 I am glad I wasn't the only one 😅
This was me today, thanks all 😁
LOL, SAME!
Makes perfect sense. Probably not the best option for most of us. Thanks for more wisdom. Stay well and don’t blow away in those winds ❤️
Thanks for clarifying! I'm already planning this year's planting scheme, and this helps me make a decision - my squash are going in their own area, away from beans, and I probably won't bother with corn at all. Stay well!!
In our Three Sister's garden, we grew popcorn, pinto bean, and blue Hubbard squash.
Thank you!! Changed my 3 sisters plan to 2 sisters; corn & squash.
Thanks, this is good advice, I am going to start experimenting in 2024, I actually like the idea of dry storage that appeals to me more, but now I may mix things up with different beans and other vegetables in surrounding area. Having dried foods on hand is very important.
great explanation... and this is exactly why I feel most people have a less than great experience with the three sisters... all three varieties are for growing in a wide open space and with natural food storage for the winter as the primary objective... green beans and sweet corn was never the goal...
I've don't the three sister's with sweet corn, pole bean, and butternut squash and it came out great. You planted too many bean pole for one the corn stocks and your corn needed to have more space apart. One bean pole per corn stock. One squash plant per group. Butternut does every well.
Thank you for that information. I was thinking of trying that method this summer, but never mind...
I am so glad I saw this! I want fresh, and I don't want to waste a growing season to find out the truth. I will use my limited space in a more efficient manner thanks to you.
That makes loads of sense. I too have planted like that and also encountered the same issues.
Well, that makes a lot of sense now. I can see that style of gardening working for those reasons. Thanks for sharing this information!
I too thought it was for fresh produce. Thanks for the explanation :)
Thank you for providing a follow up. Hopefully I have better luck. If not, next year I will have to make some trellises for the beans.
Thanks mate, just stopped me from planting the other 2 sisters. I stick with my crop of corn.
I planted pink eye purple hull peas around 2 sides of a 4x4 bed and planted corn in the rest of it (4/square). The peas were supposed to be bush, but turned out to be semi-bush so some of them climbed the corn. The leaves prevented pollen from getting to all of the ears of corn so I had poor pollination (snaggled-toothed ears). I also would not recommend planting corn 4/square. It's own leaves covered a lot of the ears and interfered with pollination. I planted Six Shooter corn which was supposed to have as many as 6 ears per stalk. However, although it is still popping out ears, the tassles seem to be dry and done for the season, so these new ears are unlikely to get pollinated at all. Planting corn this thickly makes it hard to water and fertilize also. Next year, I'll plant corn 1-2/square and maybe try Silver Queen.
I actually have it planned out for my spring garden. Didn't realize it wasn't for fresh produce, though! But, luckily for me, I chose to do popcorn, which dries out on the stalk anyways. 2 types of beans are for dry beans. And then the 2 peas I chose, I guess we'll see how it works out!!!! I have enough space for my spaghetti squash and sugar pumpkins to grow on the ground--outside of the garden bed--if needbe. So, I guess we'll see how it goes!!
I didn't know it's meant for dried produce, though, originally!! Thanks for sharing. I haven't encountered that information yet, so it's good to know
I was successful with growing it for fresh corn. I might just try growing the corn by itself this year though. And grow the beans in a separate area.
@@kevinbossick8374 I'm doing high intensity gardening and have limited space as of right now--even though we have a large front and back yard lol. I'm gonna try it and see how it goes for me. Glad to hear it worked with your fresh corn!! I wanna try my hand at sorgham and loofa, too. I heard that you can grow peas and beans with both of those, too.
@@dependentongod4ever I started peas this fall for the first time. They are growing good, and have harvested quite a bit. I can't wait to start spring planting.
@@kevinbossick8374 That's awesome. What kind did you plant? I have mammoth and spring blush that I'm going to be planting for the spring. I can't wait to start, either. I have a few more months, still, though. End of March I should be able to start a couple of my plants indoors from seed.
@@dependentongod4ever It was Spring Blush. Depending on where you live, peas like cool weather. That is why I planted in the fall, and still harvesting here in southern CA.
Thanks for the real reason for three sisters
From wyoming
I had the same issues a few years ago when I tried. The beans completely choked out the corn. I thought maybe my timing on planting was off. But seeing it as grain corn makes a lot more sense. Same as you, I won't be doing it again, but it was a good experiment.
I planted pole beans to go up cattle panel the whole way down the garden, on the one side of the trellis is 5 feet across and like 20 ft down of sweet corn is planted.
Down from those, rest of the 20 ft I planted my cucumbers to go up panel, pumpkins on one side and on the other side is all my sqaush and zuchinni with plenty of room.
I hope to keep it clean and not a jungle!
We also used wooven ground fabric in the garden this year.
Wish us luck!
It can be for fresh eating. Just choose appropriate beans that won't overtake the corn. If you want sweet corn, select a variety that is low growing and use a bush bean and have a couple paths in there where you can reach over and pop off the sweet corn.
I harvest the fresh beans along the outside.
I also have between 3, some years 4 different beds. One using popcorn type corn, then a flour type corn and a sweet corn variety.
It would be interesting to grow the ancient, heirloom varieties of grain corn, beans and winter squash just to relive the experience of what native Americans did. I may do that in our neighborhood garden as a learning experience for the neighborhood kids. They love the garden and we get together to choose what gets planted every season.
You'll be happy to know that modern day Native Americans still practice this gardening technique. It's not just a relic of past cultures
@@richards5110 That’s very cool. Are they planting modern hybrids or have the open-pollinated seeds been passed down from generation to generation. Do you know if all tribes practiced 3 sisters growing or was it confined to certain areas of the continent? I would love to obtain heirloom seeds for the varieties they plant.
@@farmerbob4554 the practice was widespread in the tribes of the Iriqous nation, but it was used by many other tribes and peoples. There are indigenous organizations working to preserve and spread old heirloom varieties. One famous one you might have heard of is glass gem corn, developed by a Cherokee man to redevelop and connect to the ancient varieties of his people.
@@richards5110 I grew up near the Seneca Nation reservation in Salamanca, NY and remember seeing them growing the three sisters. I live in California now and occasionally drive through the Paiute reservation but have never seen similar agriculture. Regardless it’s something I’d like to try growing using heirloom seeds. Thanks for the information.
@@farmerbob4554 The Hopi and Navaho are still using desert-farming techniques and varieties their ancestors have used for centuries. For some communities, it makes up a substantial part of their diet. A trip through the "Four Corners" area is fascinating, and some indigenous people do sell produce to visitors, so I imagine they'd sell seed, too. The three sisters (and most other crops) were common throughout North and South America. One thing to remember in obtaining heirloom seeds is that the varieties native to the area do best. For instance, a "120 day" corn common in Arizona may not do well in Minnesota. However, organizations like Seed Savers Exchange, whom I've bought seed from, sell many heirloom, open-pollinated varieties.
Thank you for the information I had wanted to try 3 sisters this year.
Grain type corns are larger more robust corn plants. You do also plant them a couple weeks or more ahead of the beans so they get a head start.
This is actually just good clarification on what varieties to grow in a 3S polyculture!
I'm so glad I found your video and all of these comments! So incredibly helpful as I plan which seeds to purchase for my trial run.
I still say that those three crops corn beans and squash are a great thing to rotate if you have three medium sized beds one filled with corn one filled with beans one filled with squash and rotate them every year it works out fairly well.
Thank you! I was planning on trying 3 sisters this year as a means of saving space to grow fresh vegetables. I'm so glad you shared this and spared me the frustration. Now on to a plan B, yet to be decided. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing! Very informative! Thank you !
Thank you for that explanation. Now I understand why my 3 Sisters garden didn't work well either and that it wasn't something I did. I just couldn't figure out where I went wrong. Good to know.
Thank you SOOO much for this, I was planning on doing that this year to save on space, totally need it fresh.. You saved me a headache
In times like these it is wise to grow things to store,as well as things to eat fresh
Thank you for this. I was feeling like a schmuck for hating the 3 sister's planting method...I did it this season, 2023, to try something different and maybe more efficient in production and I find the same thing, corn being smothered and bent over by beans, I feel sad for the corn...I do not plan on doing this again.
Instead of squash which I grow at a different location. I planted sunflower and the beans are climbing the sunflowers. Good thing because the extreme heat stunted the corn it is only 2-3 feet tall.
I've tried it a few times and have been somewhat unsuccessful. I only grow the beans on the perimeter corn stalks though and not the middle. I've done both fresh and dry beans and haven't had any problems. I only plant a couple beans around each perimeter stalk. I do grow the grain corn though. So growing those two together has been pretty successful. I've not had much luck growing squash with those two sisters though as the corn seems to shade the squash too much. Maybe I will try one more time growing the squash on the north end of the corn where it gets the most sun.
I have done it, but I was growing dent corn on purpose. It did not occur to me that it would not work for fresh produce other than squash, because I never set out to do that. Somehow I always assumed one could do it for fresh produce, but I can see how that would not work. Good insight.
I’m glad to see your decision fits my thoughts exactly.
You probably just saved us from a very difficult and disappointing lesson this season. We will try the technique, but with popcorn and beans for drying. One factoid I just learned (from GrowVeg) and want to share is that fertilizers high in nitrogen will soften corn stalks, making them more susceptible to breaking and bending. Thanks for the helpful share!
Great advice! Thanks for sharing your honest experience to save me from the headache. I had read about the 3 sisters planting and had it on my list to try. Crossed OFF now. Thanks again! 👍😎
Thank you! I totally was going to try it this spring, thinking that we would be eating the produce!
I tried it once knowing it was not for fresh harvesting and ran into the same problem. The beans overwhelmed the corn stalks and broke most of them, and I I was constantly fighting the squash vines to keep them from climbing the corn stalks. Major PIA.
Appreciate the update and it makes TOTAL sense. I learn so much from all of your videos. Ty.
Good to know.. Failures are learning tools too.. thanks for the clarification..
I wanted to plant popcorn and now I'm convinced to do this method. Thank you 😊 I learned something in under 3 minutes.
Makes perfect sense, I didn’t know that!
thank you for the informative to the point video. When I grow in my garden and pick something I want to eat it that day or within a few not store for the great depression. I was considering planting corn with sugar snap peas didnt even consider it will choke the corn.
the thing is you have to look at it as companion planting as beans corn and squash feed or support each other providing natural nutrients. You dont have to have the bean growing up the corn you plant a two rows of corn diagonally or vertically plant the beans in the middle with a string trellis so they grow up the string not the corn and the squash in the corners it is very organized and self fertilized and ground cover they compliment each other. I prefer the four sister method i always add sunflowers. thanks
Something I noticed in one of my searching videos about? 3 sisters garden is that they put only squash in the middle of the corn plantings so that there was no squash on the outer edge.
That should actually make it easier to get to the beans to pick.
Thank you for answering this question. Another spin on compatibility
Now THIS was helpful.
Garden gurus who just do positive how-tos are fine, but what I really need is for someone to tell me what can go wrong before I waste a whole growing season making the same mistake they did.
Thanks, makes sense!
I will continue my usual way 😊
I thought about it…but then envisioned the tangled mess that would ensue and decided I wasn’t up for that. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge on the matter. As much as I like to grow for long term storage, I also like to have access to fresh on the spot eating.
Good tip! Thnk u! Was planning on doing this, this next season! But I DO want fresh corn.....so maybe I too will rethink this method....
Thank you so much for your informative and wonderful videos.
I loved growing the three sisters and it did okay as far as amount of produce goes, (sweet corn 6-7ft variety, cow peas and summer squash), but, I had issues with humidity causing a fungal growth on straightneck and zucchini and squash bugs were hard to control. The peas did wonderfully and the corn did 'not too bad'.
I plan on trying a bush bean variety amongst my sweet corn with a dash of annual clover this year.
You've intrigued a desire to try out a pop corn, cow pea, winter squash with beneficial flowers in a chaos style garden layout. Thank you.
Those were NOT the varieties the Native Americans used. Grain corn, winter squash, and beans
@@katsii1 TBH, I never said they were but thanks anyway.
What size solo cups did you use for starting seeds? Thanks!!
Thank you.
Interesting take on the three sisters growing method. Had planned on trying it out in our garden this year and now im having second thoughts.
I'm planning to start at least the 2 sisters, namely Corn and Beans. We have mung beans, which is a low-growing plant. It's not "overly viney". This might work well with the corn.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, Brian!
Thank you, I’ve never had success either. Now, the whole concept makes perfect sense. An Ah Ha, moment :))
Oh, interesting. Good to know and I've never heard that before but makes sense. Thanks.
Thanks for the info, thats great to know! I can choose those varieties for my 3sisters and make alternate plans for other varieties makes sense
Thank you so much. You just save me time space and a broken heart ❤️ I was wondering about doing this but I don't think it's going to work for me 😁
I tried it also and had the same issues. Corn fell over, beans inaccesible, squash a no show. I had never heard it was for tried produce, though
Wow thanks for the clearing that up . I am looking for fresh garden produce to eat and not store and dry for later.
Thank you and I agree! I bought 2 huge Costco containers last spring and grew corn, beans and squash in them and they were a huge, disappointing mess....much like you described! This year I will just grow corn in them! ✅
Do you remember the size of the containers?
Thanks for the info on 3 sister stuff i caught your video just before i planted that way
that is very valuable info! Totally makes sense
Thankyou
#alrightythen. I had heard bout the 3 sisters method and the benefits to the soil, etc., and among the various videos I have watched, had realized that at best i would only be doing a modified version of it. having watched THIS vid, though, I think I will just be planting my corn standalone in one raised bed ( have about 35 germinated seeds which i'll be transplanting in a couple of weeks - they're about three inches now), and the beans and squash in a cardboard/compost/mulch bed on their own. Thanks. Have always enjoyed your videos.
My beans always grow faster than my corn, but is awesome for tethering the corn in the wind. But yeah, I much rather grow the crops seperate for fresh eating.
Hey just found your channel a few days ago. Really enjoying all the tips I've grown tomatos all my life, but this year I'm stepping up my game to 4. 2x8x2 raised beds. 2 of which will only be tomatoes I'm attempting to be self sufficient for tomatoes for an entire year. Thanks again
To each their own, you can make a lot of masa and make arepas
Thanks for explaining the three sisters to me! I'll keep this in mind if I decide to try it. I'm interested but I honestly don't think I have the space to let the squash sprawl around
I read that asparagus and strawberries grow very nice together, the PROBLEM it's hard to harvest strawberries because the asparagus grow very tall and dense.
I don’t like growing them together either.
Super helpful, thank you!
I came across this video in a Google search for whether I can do only corn and beans. Thank you for the video! We want fresh produce, so we won't waste our time doing it this way :)