Planting Corn, Squash and Beans Using The Three Sisters Method
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The Three Sisters, developed by Native Americans, is one of the earliest examples of companion planting. Shop Organic Seeds: www.groworganic.com/collectio...
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I agree with you about the three sisters, although I have come up with a method of planting that ensures that you never have to water or fertilize throughout the growing season. Take four straw bales placed on their side and formed into a square interlocked. This will allow you a square in the center that you fill with good rich compost right to the top of the bales. You then plant your corn in the center of the square, once you see the corn emerge, you lpant the beans around the corn, then at the corners you plant the squash. The bales will absorb the rain, thereby allowing water for the plants, while the squash cascades over the bales shading them. The beans climb the corn, and the decomposing straw bales give nitrogen for the corn. Just another way to the same ends.Thank you
@chaznonya4
4 жыл бұрын
This is much closer to how I was taught, now when you place your four bales (or mound of hay) throw in a fish head then pile with compost. Talk about a nutrient boost. My grandfather liked to fish and always wrapped and froze the heads just for planting time.
@littlejoe9381
4 жыл бұрын
Chaz Nonya : Thank you for this information.
@littlejoe9381
4 жыл бұрын
Glenn Miller : Thank you.
@tesha199
2 жыл бұрын
Some gems in this comment and the one from Chaz. Let's give it a boost for more folks to see this.
@wanderingcalamity360
2 жыл бұрын
Solid advice. Thanks for this.
I never thought I would be learning from the Bloods on how to grow crops.
@andreagayle1972
3 ай бұрын
😂😂😂😂😂
@bangbang3769
Ай бұрын
Bout to make the best suuwoop with these crops
This is the traditional method the Ovawambo people from Namibia use to plant their crops. And its a method that's been used by our forefathers and their forefathers. We also add groundnuts, sorghum and millet in the mix. Its great learning the science behind their methods.
@MrGundy-tu8ry
5 жыл бұрын
What kind of traditional crops do you guys plant?
@danakarloz5845
5 жыл бұрын
That’s awesome! I’m Native American and I always knew that these traditional methods were vastly spread around the world ☺️ it’s great to learn about other people and cultures 🙏
@MrGundy-tu8ry
5 жыл бұрын
@@danakarloz5845 who's your tribe? I'm ojibwe
@danakarloz5845
5 жыл бұрын
Mr. Gundy tsalagi!
@MatanuskaHIGH
4 жыл бұрын
They didn’t have corn in Namibia until white people came to the America’s. Corn and squash were native to the americas as well as potatoes.
I have now organized my growing areas to be planted with 3 sisters PLUS jerusalem artichokes as a 4th, and maybe a couple of cousins. I loved this. It made me feel happy.
This brings a smile to my face.
Companion gardening at its best in organic for life! Excellent video thank you
Love this! But, one tip... in my experience, you can't use a "combination" of different corn plants, or they will cross pollinate, and you will end up with some strange corn cobs!
@mortyrickerson6322
Жыл бұрын
You mean monocrop to not allow genetic variation * 😀
@Uncephalized
Жыл бұрын
@@mortyrickerson6322 yes, corn hybridizes readily, so if you want a specific variety to breed true, you have to keep the patches separate. If you like inedible, useless corn, by all means interplant them. 3 sisters is by definition not monocropping.
@guacre2675
Жыл бұрын
@Uncephalized It's not exactly a monoculture, but you're still breeding weaker, more-vulnerable-to-disease maize plants in the long term. Also, why do say "inedible, useless" corn? Do you know what field corn is?
@mrcmoes
Жыл бұрын
@@guacre2675ou can easily turn your sweet corn into cow corn, or make it so your popcorn wont pop, maise flour not having the right consistency etc by planting too close. Even in the wild they will grow in patches of the same variety. Putting different strains right next to each other is somewhat unnatural. Especialy if said varietyies are from vastly different areas, I am growing corn from the east coast of canada and some from the south west usa. They are very different. As for "weakening the strain" I generaly do selective harvesting to make sure my heilooms are both naturalized well and strong healthy genetics.
@Vora_Vixen
10 ай бұрын
I though it only made it where you can't plant seeds as the next crop would be effected but your saying it effects the current crop? D:
Thank you i hope the best for you and your loved ones in these times we are in
Good tips for formations and timings of planting the sisters. Excellent video, thank you!
Excellent tutorial for a novice gardener like myself. Thank you for sharing!
Greetings from Missouri! Fantastic three sisters tutorial. Will be implementing this method in our garden this year.
I love this video, but it needs to be noted that this method has been practiced for millennia, not centuries. Mesoamericans developed the strategy first, not unnecessarily as beans, squash, and maize maize originated there, and slowly moved north via trade and human expansion.
@dirtlegchaser2424
4 жыл бұрын
i mean a millennia is a whole bunch of centuries no?
@ripsumrall8018
4 жыл бұрын
@@dirtlegchaser2424 It does seem a quibble no? But using millennia gives a better sense of the time.
@sabin97
4 жыл бұрын
@@ripsumrall8018 exactly. an hour is just 3600 seconds. but saying "i have been here for hours" conveys better the amount of time than "i have been here for seconds", even thought seconds is technically correct....
@lond2835
4 жыл бұрын
It's not a history lesson. Go plant a garden.
@dirtlegchaser2424
4 жыл бұрын
@@sabin97 so intelligent
I have always heard of the three sisters, and have always wanted to know how this works. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us, this will certainly help my spring planting, I am rather excited now armed with this knowledge. Thank you again
I am a descendant of chief Massasoit. My wife is a descendant of the pilgrims just used your video to explain the three sisters to her.
Great stuff, thanks for sharing. I’ve bookmarked this and set an alarm for late April.
Amazing. Thank you from NZ. Gonna do it myself this spring=Sept here.
Best explanation EVER! Thank you ❤️
I know a gardener who use nasturtium around the edge of the 3 sisters as a fourth sister, put the flowers & tender leaves in salads & pickled the tenger seed pods, as poor man capers.
@HardCoreHanSolo
3 жыл бұрын
Sounds super smart. Move ground cover for less weeds. Nasturtiums are supposed to help keep squash bugs away from the squash. I'm doing that method this year
@joanies6778
3 жыл бұрын
@@HardCoreHanSolo Cool. I didn't know this and have several Nasturtium I need to transplant. Thanks!
thank you so much for doing this video and sharing it
Super helpful - thanks for sharing!
Love it! I'm gonna try!
THIS IS A TRADITIONAL FARMING METHOD IN SOUTH AFRICA. MY TSWANA GRANDPARENTS USED THIS METHOD OF FARMING AND ITS BEEN HANDED DOWN FROM ANCIENT GENERATIONS IN AFRICA, Love seeing this, my childhood food crops in one plate. 👌🏾
@noahramirez8501
Жыл бұрын
No, this method is originally from the indigenous peoples of the americas. There was no corn and squash in Africa. The only reason there is corn is because of colonization. This farming method is native to the Americas.
Very nice video I learned a lot I was raised around corn my family ran fields
Thanks. Showing the granddaughter the old ways best I can. She can't wait for her CDIB card.
Hi from South Wales uk. I’m going to try three sisters this year they are ready to go in yeee thanks for sharing. New friend here. Pop by and say hi thanks stay safe and god bless. Ange and the feathered ones x
Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙏
Love this...been wanting to try it for years and finally have land to do so now!
@donaldmatthies6026
4 жыл бұрын
Just curious as to how this actually turned out for you? I to have the land now and have been preparing the garden sure for almost two years.
@donaldmatthies6026
4 жыл бұрын
Garden site*
@dgerdi
4 жыл бұрын
Shelly Lanette all the best for you. I still have to wait a little for my land.
thanks for your teachings.
Great method and video Thanks
thanks. that was really useful. great video.
Fascinating.
this is great for my school work
I have only a small garden at my apartment, and have been wondering for years if there was a planting method where I could combine some of my veggies into a smaller section of the plot. Thank you for the tips; I can't wait to try this come spring!
I'll be trying this method out this year to grow corn. The main reason I became interested, is after noticing last year that the prickly pumpkin vines on the outside border of my garden stopped the deer from coming in and eating my plants. I will also be trying out a traditional appalachian pole bean variety called "Greasy Grits."
Love this thank you so much.
Very informative thank you.
Really well made video
Trying this at my garden this year. So far corn is up 😊
"This is a technique that has used for centuries." You mean millennia! Still a great video!
@johnnyarpa
4 жыл бұрын
@TCB Scientists believe people living in central Mexico developed corn at least 7000 years ago. It was started from a wild grass called teosinte. Teosinte looked very different from our corn today. The kernels were small and were not placed close together like kernels on the husked ear of modern corn
@johnnyarpa
4 жыл бұрын
@TCB all scientists are saying 7,000 years I'm sure this technique's been for thousands and thousands of years not centuries
@karveeranivasa9012
3 жыл бұрын
They say this technique was practiced by Africans in their farming.
@julianfrederick9082
3 жыл бұрын
No, centuries
@muthrfuqrjonz3530
3 жыл бұрын
Millennia?? Are you kidding me? Native Americans are Asians first of all and humanoids didn’t arrive to the Americas until 13,000 years ago dickhead. Stop being an arrogant twat and listen you may learn something new.
Great job. Thanks.
I saw this technique in Mexico, corn and beans and it works
Thank you, gracia's...
I am from the uk and I am going to try this method this season, corn just coming up and then when big enough I will do as you have do, my last frost is in the middle of May , not long now 😂
Thxs for sharing. I am going to try this method of planting in my garden. 😊
I am going to try this on my property. We are high in the Sierras, growing is not easy here. Lots of acid trees. Snow possible in June and September. Hot and dry in the summer.
Don't matter who taught this first is if we leave it behind for the Next Generation to learn this is the first for all who come next....
Next year for sure, too late now and we have a short growing season up here in northern NM, where its Never 55 at night in the summer, hahaa. beautiful video and garden! waay to go kids!
@micahbarror842
3 жыл бұрын
Really?
Thanks so much
Awesome thanks
Great technique usefull anywhere
Can thank the Mesoamericans and Native Americans for this lol
@Gina-yy5fe
4 жыл бұрын
@johnnyarpa, she mentions “Three sisters, “ that’s a nod to native Americans
@vancouverpoacher
3 жыл бұрын
I'm curious how sowing White privilege deeply in, then cross-pollinating with some cultural appropriation factors into the explosive growth of this video?
@JMMELGRATTI
3 жыл бұрын
Sjw are offended 😂
@53K5HUNN8
3 жыл бұрын
@@vancouverpoacher @johnnyarpa Maybe try watching past 1:22 & you'll find exactly what you're looking for.
@colsoul444
3 жыл бұрын
They literally credit the Native Americans in the video. Maybe you should watch it.
thank you
Good Video.
I've got two 3 Sisters gardens , one with flint corn and the other has peaches and cream corn in it plus sunflowers, pumpkins and butternut squash plus green and yellow pole beans and adzuki beans
@joshuavazquez5534
2 жыл бұрын
Sounds beautiful
Dont plant different corn species nearby eachother, this Will result in crosspollination and this in turn Will make the corn have very little corn
@eduardomurillo7637
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for that info
@dacebruz2626
3 жыл бұрын
Yes I thought it was odd that she said to mix and match if u want.
@liquidgold2735
3 жыл бұрын
That only matters if you plant the corn kernals afterwards, not the seeds you already planted.
@byrontuttle3545
3 жыл бұрын
@@liquidgold2735 These wont understand and besides this method will grow almost corn because corn is wind pollinated and needs to be planted in blocks a minimum of a 12 by 12 foot square
@liquidgold2735
3 жыл бұрын
@@byrontuttle3545 weird, my 4x4 squares produce very well every year
Very helpful video- about how many bean plants should be in each mound?
Isn’t it wonderful how corn, and other native foods to northern and southern Aboriginal people of the Americas, have become so important around the world. Interesting how other native people from Namibia had similar planting techniques for their traditional foods as well. We are all connected.
Gonna try this next year, i bought all the seeds this year but waited too long to plant them 😣
@edmundo oliver ooh, maybe it's REALLY 10,005 years ago. LoL Not from you Sir, but from SO MANY in the comments section all I see are not picking complaints. Who CARES if it's centuries, millennia, or last year on granny's farm ? This woman is trying to teach something to you that you may not have known. If you don't agree then GO MAKE YOUR OWN video. She's not a telling you she's a PhD of history/archeology! She's simply telling you the way a tried and true method of gardening worked long ago. I've never seen such pettiness in all my life. Every one of you hating out there need to get a job or a life. To the woman who made the video, THANK YOU for the informative gardening lesson. I had not heard of these things and tend to believe our ancestors knew what they were doing or none of us would be here. So, thanks for taking the time to educate all who came here to learn. Have a great day.
This is the first time I have heard about the fourth sister
@bamboozle2720
4 жыл бұрын
Chris Cahill they forgot to mention sister tobacco too.
@tommymcweedface229
4 жыл бұрын
Ok, you're the latest to post. What does she mean by innoculant? Sorry if the spelling is wrong. Thanks for any help!
@chriscahill1005
4 жыл бұрын
tommy Mc Weedface just looked it up www.gardensalive.com/product/should-you-inoculate-your-peas--beans
@sullyhubbard7159
4 жыл бұрын
Yeah, she's a sister from another mister so you don't hear much about her
@user-rx2ur5el9p
4 жыл бұрын
Amaranth makes a great 5th sister! It grows very well with corn.
greetings and success of farmers from South Sumatra Indonesia. 🇲🇨🇲🇨 May the farmers' crops be bountiful and the farmers will be blessed, will have an abundant age and health amen🤲🤲👩🌾👩🌾👩🌾👩🌾
We used to plant with all four sisters at the edge of the garden and other veggies mound together well too. Ours was just a bit different, we started with a fish head.
@AFMR0420
3 жыл бұрын
My mom just mentioned the fish!
@moosieh1
3 жыл бұрын
@@AFMR0420 is the fishead fertilizer? Do you add one to each mound?
@chaznonya4
3 жыл бұрын
@@AFMR0420 lol, it was recycling. After a fishing trip and they had eaten the fish they wrapped the heads and saved them for planting.
Not really into annuals but I might actually give this a shot
thanks for the great video, how many beans per corn? 4 or 1?
Nice
I love this idea, I’m about to transplant my corn and I have squash transplants but okra seeds that I want to plant together. Is that okay
@jennk7987
4 жыл бұрын
You shouldn’t transplant corn.
@TOMMYBITESTV
4 жыл бұрын
You are right cause they did not do as great as the ones I planted directly. Thank you, gardening is trial and error sometimes
@jennk7987
4 жыл бұрын
TommyBites Homestead yes! My first year and I didn’t plant enough corn so they didn’t pollinate very well. I got one corn lol At least it’s a fun trial and error. Happy Gardening! 🤗
I may try this but my corn I just planted is in 8, 20’ double rows. I’ll plant some pink eye purple hull peas in a couple weeks then my zucchini squash after it sprouts good. 👨🌾🤞🏼
Does planting Red Amaranth in a cluster (3:05) produce more/better than a larger solo plant? Do you ever "top" the Amaranth and get an early leaf harvest to eat, if so, when?? I haven't really figured out how to best utilize it other than Microgreen seeds.
I have a couple plots in a community garden. Is the mound necessary?
We do that in my country.
Hi, how big was the mound? If the 5 squash seeds are 18" apart, how big was the mound? I heard to make an 18" mound 4" deep, but that mound looks bigger than that
I live in southeast Texas, zone 9a. Can I do this in August?
You said NOT to use bush beans w the 3 sisters method, and only use pole beans. Is that because it won't work with bush beans? And I'm curious what other substitutions can be made? Like example; areas that grow squash well often can grow pumpkins well also. And they seem similar in many growing aspects. So I'm curious if Pumpkins can be fully substituted for squash with this method? And if that's true, then maybe other things can also? And when you plant the 3 sisters together, your video is the only 1 I know of that actually had a diagram explaining how close and how far to put them away from each other (such as @1:23). Is it allowable to deviate on the distance between them somewhat? Or put them together or how much can you vary? Thank you.
Question, I have a 2 foot by 17 foot space I can grow these, how would you recommend I go about it?
Im doing just that :)
this woman is right
You can plant up to 64 stalks in a 4'x4' square too, you can pack them in pretty tight, then the tassels are directly above the silks dropping pollen too.
@mattjohnson9727
Жыл бұрын
Do you just plant them in an 8x8 grid so each corn plant is 6" apart? How is there space for everything else? I'm looking to maximize my yields
Could I theoretically replace the beans with peas? I dont care for beans but would like to try this method.
So, the beans are situated close by the corn stalk to assure them grabbing on?
Awesome video thankyou
if you only put 4 stalks of corn per mound, how many mounds do you need to have minimum in order to grow corn? Asking since Im trying to grow in an urban backyard.
Ahhhh! CoSquaBea is the key!
Can you use pumpkin,like sugar pie?
Is the three sisters method of planting limited to corn beans squash? do you have any other three plant combinations to use?
Can you his be done in Midland Texas ?
More people need to use banana, orange, lemon, pineapple, watermen's, squash, and other rinds or peels to use as organic compost along with different pollen plants around so they can get pollenated
How well does each grouping method stand up to pest pressure and plant diseases. I mean the better nutrient availability is great, and the less weed pressure. But Stinkbugs love beans and corn alike and a denser foliage results in more fungus usually. Can you give reading recommendation on these methods?
@linejumper8204
3 жыл бұрын
Worked for the Indians in Canada for thousands of years.
@joshuavazquez5534
2 жыл бұрын
Use your brain when gardening. If your in a more warm and humid climate you want to space things out more
@ashyfeathers
2 жыл бұрын
There are flowers and herbs that deter bugs and the like, also some that bring pollinators. Marigolds would probably be a good bet
I've got 3 sisters They topple each other, with envy Wish they were plants 😕😕
Great video! just a question- i wanted to try this in my small farm- 16000 sq ft. where i will plant corn as major crop, for that is there a model which can be implemented while planting sweat corn in a row? Thank you.
@ajaydeshpande5568
6 жыл бұрын
GrowOrganic Peaceful Valley Thank you very much! I shall do that..i was just thinking that when i plant corn in a row then where will i plant beans and squash! Thank you very much for your help. I am also checking the link you sent ☺
@ajaydeshpande5568
6 жыл бұрын
GrowOrganic Peaceful Valley awesome ☺!!! You are very supportive! I am grateful to you. This link seems perfect with diagrams too! Many thanks for sharing it!
@caitzs
5 жыл бұрын
@@ajaydeshpande5568 I've seen corn and pole beans grown together in rows on small farms in Guatemala. I suppose you could alternate corn/bean rows with squash rows.
@ajaydeshpande5568
5 жыл бұрын
@@caitzs Thank you :) okay..i will try that sure!!!
I don’t know if she mentioned this but if you’re growing more then one hill you need to grow dent or popcorn and dry beans not sweet corn and green beans because once the squash plants take over it is almost impossible to get to the corn and bean plants without crushing the squash vines
We've been doing this in my country. We plant corn,beans, huckleberry "njama njama " or other vegetables
@moosieh1
3 жыл бұрын
Which country?
You can’t do this for fall?
Any tips for squash bugs without pesticides?
any 3 sisters for winter?
Is Spain good climate for that?
Can you substitute pumpkins for squash?
Can you plant melons/ cucumbers instead of squash / pumpkin?
I heard not to mix corn types as you suggest, because they cross pollinate and change . Mixing Seed corn w sweet corn for example.
In Indonesia "Tumpang Sari"
👍👌