I Planted Three Sisters

Aww, c'mon! It's not a crime. The Native Americans did it!

Oh, I see where your mind went. So let me explain. 'The Three Sisters' is a term for a specific trio of companion plants (corn, beans & squash) which help each other thrive in various ways. It works like this:

The corn grows up tall.
The beans grow up the corn like a trellis.
The squash provides the ground cover (weed deterrent.)
Additionally, the beans put extra nitrogen into the soil, which the corn requires.

Due to the trees in my backyard, there was really no longer a suitable place that would provide enough sunlight to my venture ...UNTIL I discovered I could plant the 3 Sisters in a huge pot on my deck, provided I was careful to fertilize it as needed. Let me just say that the results have, thus far, exceeded my expectations!

I planted three corn plants, three bean plants and 1 squash plant in each of two 1/2 barrel planters. That was near the end of April.


During the first week in May:


Just a couple weeks after that:


A pic from today:


'A shot in the dark' from last night, because it includes my cat for perspective!


There are lots of online sources about how to do this. I consulted a lot of them before I went to the trouble. Here are just a couple:

Gardening Tricks that Work

Planting Three Sisters

Let me hear from you!
Have you tried this?
Something similar?
Have I convinced you to give it a shot?
Did I mention it is (thus far) ridiculously easy?

Gotta run... I literally have some green beans ripe for the picking.

Neat, I should have read this before planting my pole beans, I wouldn't have had to put in all those poles

originally posted by: rickymouse
Neat, I should have read this before planting my pole beans, I wouldn't have had to put in all those poles

I know what you mean! And actually I goofed and planted bush beans instead of pole beans, but they seem to be doing fine!

I'm basically planning the three sisters method for part of my garden project this year as well (so the title didn't throw me, hehe...)

originally posted by: Gazrok
I'm basically planning the three sisters method for part of my garden project this year as well (so the title didn't throw me, hehe...)

Nice! I hope you can post some pics of your progress!
It's my understanding that the Native Americans buried a dead fish in the soil for added nutrients. I didn't go there... thought the deck might stink, lol...

a reply to: new_here
Unfortunately, fish "parts' are great for the garden.
Being a kid, and weeding, and finding a fish head. Wonderful childhood memories. LOL


Looks great!

I hate beans, so that sister is out, but I have lots of corn and squash planted. I have an experiment going in my garden, I may do a thread about.

Thanks for posting this.

a reply to: new_here

Very nice! Container gardening is very efficient and saves water. Our 1/4+ acre in asparagus, raspberries, peppers requires a lot of water and attention.

a reply to: new_here

The title sure caught my eye. I don't see the three sisters mentioned outside of powwows, the term three sisters anyway. Some nations do use fish for fertilizer. I'm not sure how bad it smells if it's buried. Anywho, that looks like a nice setup in the barrels. Good luck with it.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Thanks! I think my biggest fear is the weight on the deck as the corn gets bigger and BIGGER!

a reply to: chiefsmom

I have an experiment going in my garden, I may do a thread about.

You have my interest...

originally posted by: olaru12
a reply to: new_here

Very nice! Container gardening is very efficient and saves water. Our 1/4+ acre in asparagus, raspberries, peppers requires a lot of water and attention.

I was lugging gallons of water out there until we got the 'drip irrigation' system set up and programmed. (Well, actually it has rained each afternoon since then, so there ya go!)

a reply to: new_here

The weight is a problem. I don't know how much a full grown corn plant weighs. Then, there's the squash. I don't know how heavy those get if they bear a lot of fruit. You'll find out if it's too heavy if you hear a crash and there's a hole in your deck.

a reply to: new_here

Just monitor the decks shape and elevation.

If the weight is causing the deck to twist downward or deflect you will see from a slight distance and looking over the run of the deck. You could stipe a pole and place it at the edge of the deck in the ground and also measure if it's sinking down over time.

Or you could spread them out and over the support posts evenly to distribute the weight.

You have me wondering now if trying this in my homes solarium would produce a good yield without the pests .

Nice little plants there!


Cheers!

a reply to: new_here

You may want to look into artificially helping the pollination of your corn plants. Otherwise, you will have ears and few kernals. Corn plants need a lot of close companions. And the corn will want a lot of water in those crowded pots.

'Wish you luck!

Looks awesome! I love container gardening! I have some herbs growing in containers and they are all doing well.

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: new_here

You may want to look into artificially helping the pollination of your corn plants. Otherwise, you will have ears and few kernals. Corn plants need a lot of close companions. And the corn will want a lot of water in those crowded pots.

'Wish you luck!

Thanks, I did read about hand-pollinating them. You've confirmed it!

originally posted by: Treespeaker
a reply to: new_here

Just monitor the decks shape and elevation.

If the weight is causing the deck to twist downward or deflect you will see from a slight distance and looking over the run of the deck. You could stipe a pole and place it at the edge of the deck in the ground and also measure if it's sinking down over time.

Or you could spread them out and over the support posts evenly to distribute the weight.

Cheers!

Good ideas there... thanks!

originally posted by: Night Star
Looks awesome! I love container gardening! I have some herbs growing in containers and they are all doing well.

Thanks Night Star! I have some herbs out there too... Rosemary, Basil, Oregano & Parsley.
Also, a couple of trees volunteered into unused pots. Couldn't bring myself to kill them, so I'm trying my hand at Bonsai.

a reply to: new_here

Bonsai trees, cool!!!! Over here, it gets like a jungle with weeds and trees and vines and whatnot growing like crazy all the time. Being disabled, I can only do a little bit of work and if I chop things down, I can't keep bending and lifting all those cuttings to put in barrels and take them away to the woods to be dumped, so if no one helps it sucks. I pulled some weeds out around the flowers today. My containers look good so I'm happy enough.

It's my understanding that the Native Americans buried a dead fish in the soil for added nutrients

I have my choice of horse, rabbit, and chicken manure to use, so no worries there.