The Three Sisters: Planting Corn, Beans, and Squash Together (2024)

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The Three Sisters: Planting Corn, Beans, and Squash Together? ›

The Iroquois and the Cherokee called corn, bean, and squash the three sisters' because they nurture each other like family when planted together. These agriculturalists placed corn in small hills planting beans around them and interspersing squash throughout of the field.

Did you know corn, beans, and squash are called the “Three Sisters”? Many Native American tribes planted this trio together because they thrive like three inseparable sisters. Here's how to perform a Three Sisters Planting to have your own Three Sisters garden.

Who are the three sisters? The crops of corn, beans, and squash are known as the Three Sisters. For centuries these three crops have been the center of Native American agriculture and culinary traditions. It is for good reason as these three crops complement each other in the garden as well as nutritionally.

The Three Sisters (Spanish: tres hermanas) are the three main agricultural crops of various indigenous peoples of Central and North America: squash, maize ("corn"), and climbing beans (typically tepary beans or common beans).

Cucumber and Squash

Cucumbers and squash come from the same family and both need nutrient-rich soil in order to thrive. "Planting cucumbers and squash together increases the competition for vital nutrients and will quickly exhaust the nutrients in their soil," says Spoonemore.

-Success with a Three Sisters garden involves careful attention to timing, seed spacing and varieties. In many areas, if you simply plant all three in the same hole at the same time, the result will be a snarl of vines in which the corn gets overwhelmed.

One of the “Three Sisters,” pole beans (like green beans) are a great choice to grow with corn because they provide much-needed nitrogen in the soil. In turn, the beans can use the corn stalks as a support system instead of requiring a trellis.

Winter squash is the “other sister” in the Three Sister planting method, but it benefits the growth of beans in a different way. Winter squash has large leaves that can shelter the soil around the base of bean plants, suppressing weeds and slowing down evaporation rates so beans don't need to be watered as often.

Planting in groups of three leads to a more natural feel and is very pleasing to the eye. There are several ways to incorporate an odd number of plants into your design other than in a simple straight line. Although that is a great option since an odd-numbered group gives a natural center.

What can tomatoes not be planted with? ›

Squash is typically planted between the corn and beans, and its ample leaves serve as a shield, blocking heat, retaining soil moisture and suppressing weed growth. Many other plants can be grown together in your own garden.

Corn provides a natural pole for bean vines to climb. Beans fix nitrogen on their roots, improving the overall fertility of the plot by providing nitrogen to the following years corn. Bean vines also help stabilize the corn plants, making them less vulnerable to blowing over in the wind.

CORN – one of the most common companion planting schemes is that of the three sisters, which includes planting corn, beans and squash together. Zucchinis are a type of squash. Corn and zucchini do not necessarily benefit one another but they do grow well together and enjoy similar soil conditions.

The Three Sisters play an important part in Aboriginal history and, according to legend, were once three beautiful sisters called Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo. The sisters fell in love with three brothers in the neighbouring tribe– something that was forbidden under tribal law.