7 Mistakes I Made With The 3 Sisters

The 3 Sisters is a really interesting example of companion planting or intercropping, combining maize, squash and beans in one integrated planting, which was developed and used by some indigenous peoples of North America. I didn’t think it would grow well in the climate like Ireland, but this past season I tried growing this combination both in one of the polytunnels, and in an outside area, and I think there are 7 key issues I would want to address before growing the 3 Sisters again.

0:00 A famous companion planting
1:07 What is the 3 sisters?
3:00 Sweetcorn lacked enough structure
4:37 Beans were too weak and too strong
6:01 Needed appropriate squash varieties
7:24 Too many plants for the space
8:55 Too much fertility and not enough
10:00 Pollination an issue inside and outside
11:27 Yield was too low
12:43 Try again?
14:49 Having spare capacity

[jovialfernandes]

The 3 sisters method is sacred knowledge passed down generations of indigenous peoples and later to settlers, and has sustained our ancestors through many rough years. You have named your video '7 issues with 3 sisters' but all I see is how the right methodology or seed was not used. I think you should rename this to '7 mistakes you could avoid while growing 3 sisters'.

[zmavrick]

I am from the US and have done quite a bit of research on the 3 sisters because I found it fascinating. The biggest thing I learned was that there was no set implementation. Each geographic area and sometimes different tribes in an area implemented it differently. The growing areas and their needs context over time developed what worked best for each group. Some even planted the crops separately. I know it is called three sisters today, but often sunflowers were also added to the mix. In the end I found there is no wrong way, just what works best for you. The method you used works best for the groups that planted in the spring then left to their hunting grounds for the summer and then returned in the fall for their winter camp, so no attention was given during the growing season.

[pansartaxen]

I have successfully cultivated the Three Sisters gardening technique for nearly a decade in the chilly region of Sweden. Here's my method:
Preparation: The planting cycle begins with the Three Sisters approach, starting by applying a substantial layer (20-40cm) of nearly fresh manure.
Corn: Opt for a flour corn variety, ideal for making bread after undergoing nixtamalization. I use my own seeds, but the original were 'Painted Mountain' and 'Wade’s Giant Indian Flint Corn' varieties.
Beans: While still in search of the perfect bean, I've observed success with various types. Surprisingly, low-growing beans works well also, benefiting from wind protection provided by neighboring plants and a touch of sunlight.
Squash: I primarily utilize winter squash/pumpkins with a longer shelf life through the winter. My family has grown weary of the surplus of pumpkin and squash dishes so I need to be able to secretly mix it in over a longer period.
Bonus: In the preceding year, the plots are dedicated to potatoes. Any overlooked potatoes tend to yield substantial crops when grown alongside the Three Sisters.
Layout: I employ three south-facing beds simultaneously, situating more corn towards the back and increasing squash towards the south. Beans are strategically placed near corn, ensuring access to sunlight during their early growth.
Planting Density: Plant corn densely, maintaining an approximate ratio of 5:3:1 for corn, beans, and squash, respectively.
Post-Harvest: After harvesting, repurpose leftover plant material as mulch. The subsequent year benefits from a combination of manure and mulch, creates exceptionally fertile soil for other nutrient-hungry plants.

[kimberlybain]

I am a volunteer at an Indigenous community garden in Utah. The beans used in the three sisters are Cherokee Trail of Tears, Hidatsa Shield, and True Red Cranberry. The beans are planted after the corn stalks are at least three feet tall. We only plant yellow crook neck squash in the garden, which is planted well after the corn is established. As for corn, we used the glass gem popcorn that was given to us by an indigenous family. I'm in Utah, so it has a different climate, but our three-sisters garden did very well. .

[bobaloo]

Bruce, if you're interested I can highly recommend a flint corn variety called "Floriani". It was actually bred in northern Italy specifically for the production of polenta. Being from cooler climes, it does great here in western Oregon. I grow a big patch every few years and enjoy the best polenta I've ever eaten. It doesn't get too big, 2-2.5 meters, and matures very quickly. Also, as a student of history, I can tell you that the vast majority of Native Americans didn't use mixed plantings. Early vistors over eastern North America, where corn was a staple, found enormous monoculture fields of corn, some reported to be more than a kilometer across. Another interesting fact about their agriculture is most of the squash wasn't allowed to ripen, it was picked green and dried / smoked to preserve it for the winter and used to thicken soups, much like we'd use a grain.

[GardenerScott]

Great video! There is more to this mythic plant combination than just sowing seeds. Wonderful process to show different options and plant selection.

[gardnerkeep]

Found this interesting thank you. I live in Arizona, USA and people talk about this alot. It answered some of the concerns ive had, mainly corn not being big enough to support the beans. We've altered our crops a lot over the years and it would take a lot of trial and error to figure out what works best.

[scrappyquilter]

So glad you addressed this topic. I'm a long time gardener and I could never get the 3 Sisters companion planting to work for me. I have had tremendous success with asparagus and strawberries together in the same raised bed for four years now. Bumper crops in both cases every year.

[WillowsGreenPermaculture]

A suggestion for your corn stalks. I stake my three sisters mounds generally with three 2m stakes, attached like a teepee. They support the corn stalks, and the beans grow up them as well as the stalks. It works well. The beans can grow heavily and help to protect the cobs from little critters. The stakes not only prevent the corn from falling, but also, if animals come to munch on the corn, they don't cause the whole plant to fall, so the plant can still put out more cobs (as animals will only eat the upripe ones, so the corn stalks will still put energy into new cobs). Of course, I minimize animal grazing by giving enough space and light to my squash plants. Good healthy, thickly growing squash plants will discourage not only the little critters, but the big ones too, as the vines are prickly.

[kahzinger]

Do you think the polytunnel corn stalks were weaker due to no wind blowing across them to cause them to be more robust? Thank you for your videos. Cheers from British Columbia. 👍🏼

[MrLogain]

We tried 3 sisters this year but with a twist.
We are on the southcoast of England and we used sunflowers for support, berloti beans growing up them, courgette green and yellow at the base. We then grew sweetcorn separately as a wind break. This I think saved us a lot of issues with the high winds we experienced during the growing season.

Really informative to see how you got in with poly tunnel growing and I think had we tried to grow up our sweetcorn we would have suffered the same issues, they just were not strong enough.

[michaelmcclafferty]

As always, a very interesting video, thanks.
I love your honesty, which in my opinion, is critical to learning.

[iamthatgaby]

I think that 3 sisters relies a lot on the timing and environmental cues that normally happen in the tropics, like the switch from rainy to dry season. For instance, the beans I have been experimenting with don't care at all about what season you plant them in, they will only start flowering once the rainy season stops. From a book that documents indigenous knowledge in my area, the planting dates for corn are at the beginning of the rainy season (may) and in august after the small break in the rains that happens in july. Makes sense because corn is such a thirsty crop in my experience. I have been told that you're not expected to plant beans at the same time as the corn, you're supposed to have finished harvesting the corn and the stalks are starting to dry up and you use them as trellises. Beans can be super vigorous in the tropics as well as the corn, so I don't see how they would be able to crop at the same time, too much competition. Also the squash, in my experience, wants to go into the ground and have a lot of rain (best to plant in may), but I have planted in april and got an insane harvest because I made sure to water before the rains came.
In summary, I think 3 sisters is best interpreted as a method of staggered planting instead of a interplanting method for growing the 3 at the same time.
In any case, do continue experimenting because I can see how using different varieties of the 3 crops would yield different results. It's just that the varieties that we grow here in Costa Rica seem to be hardwired to respond to the change between seasons and I can't make them or need them behave differently.

[michaelburke]

One year I grew an "Indian style" plot utilizing heirloom varieties such as Six Shooter corn, runner beans, pole green beans, sunflowers, sun chokes and various squashes and pumpkins. The corn was planted first, in a mound about 3 ' in diameter and about 9 " high. Beans were planted around each corn stalk. Squashes later on. Also, each mond had a decent sized carp buried under in for added nutrients. It all worked beautifully. Southern Wisconsin on deep, rich soil and a great summmer climate. One of the best plots ever.I think the key was the Six Shooter corn; tall, sturdy stalks, multiple ears, a great old time variety.

[industrialathlete]

One aspect of squash type plants in this 'rotation' acts as a deterrent to animal predation .Raccoons and deer do not like the 'prickly' stems and leaves of squash type plants.

Very informative presentation.

I have tried this in zone 5 in the Midwest(USA) and even with a longer and warmer season there are challenges you very well explained!

[susankarpuk]

To add to the confusion, my old relatives in Iowa say, plant corn when the apple blossoms fall. Corn needs full sun all day. Corn shades the pumpkins. Beans can be planted later when the corn is big enough to support the vines. Corn should be knee high on the fourth of July

[karenl]

I learned recently that when colonists landed in the Americas, a lot of what they thought were wild forests were often very carefully managed "food forests". It's interesting to think of how stories and practices that incorporated different worldviews were instrumental in shaping interactions with nature

[julianachandler]

I live in Massachusetts and I tried the 3 sisters method. I even chose beans and squash that were supposedly grown by native Americans. Like your results, my corn was weighted down by the beans. I found that the method made everything more difficult and my yield was lower for everything. My preferred method is to grow squash and beans on a trellis. Everything is then easier to pick and airflow is greater. In my area, powdery mildew is a constant challenge, so airflow is a big deal.

[cantseetheforestforthetree]

I would recommend growing way more corn instead of, or in addition to fewer beans and squash. Growing corn on a small scale requires a dense planting of corn in order to achieve good pollination. Also, overshadowing the squash somewhat will reduce their vigor a little which will help with the overall balance of growth between the three crops, and as a trailing vine, the squash will simply spread outside the footprint of the overall plot in search of additional light so reduced yield should be minimal. Finally, three sisters is best as a “set it and forget it” style of growing where long season storage varieties, ie. Field or flint corn and dried beans accompany winter squash to be planted in an out of the way corner of the acreage for harvesting together at the end of the growing season as winter storage staple foods. The regular, mid season harvesting required for sweet corn and green beans is greatly hindered by the wild, jungle like condition of the three sisters plot, and are better grown in separate, controlled conditions. The three sisters garden is a great system, but this isn’t really the context where it can truly shine.

[alexanderpaines]

Very interesting video, as always. I think you hit the nail right on the head at the start saying theres so many ideas and not much experience. 3 Sisters often comes up when talking about companion planting, and many are quick to suggest it, but ive yet to see an effective implementation of it in the UK. Id imagine its highly dependant on using varieties bred specifically for the purpose in specific climates. Maybe a very long term breeding project for someone?

Interestingly enough, ive heard about some farms experimenting with intercropping successfully in the UK in the past couple of years, such as fava beans and grain, using very specific breeds, so it is possible. I think ive also read somewhere that it was done in the past (maybe tudor period). If both crops are being harvested dry and then threshed the labour wouldnt be much different from a mono-crop