Category Archives: Gardening

Growing the three sisters: day 64

The saying “knee high by the 4th of July” for corn has gone a little ahead of schedule: the corn stalks are now well above my hips and are only getting larger. I talked with someone about how much higher it could get and they told me that when their brother attempted this same experiment that the city came on and ordered them to cut two feet off of their stalk as it was two feet higher than the 14 foot ordinance (weird, but their words not mine).

In another bizarre turn of events, the squash has gone completely nuts and I had to “amputate” a tendril that was beginning to wrap itself around the corn stalk. I became worried about the beans that had at one time been strangling out the corn as they are no longer visible. Upon closer examination, I found out that they are wrapping themselves around the squash instead of the cornstalks, yet are thriving incredibly well.

I noticed some honey bees pollinating the squash, cucumbers, watermelon and beans which has me excited as well. I’m hoping to see some fruit on the squash and other pollinated plants in the next month so stay tuned!!.

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Growing the “three sisters”: day 1

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I had the opportunity to grow the “three sisters” this year. For those of you that don’t know what the “three sisters” are, it’s corn, beans and squash. The three grown together form a symbiotic relationship: corn- which naturally robs large amounts of nitrogen from the soil- allows beans to grow around its stalks.

The beans, in turn, put nitrogen balk in the soil after everything is harvested. Finally, squash with its large broad leaves allow the soil surrounding the beans and corn to remain free from weeds.

I researched as much as I could about the three sisters over the last year and while I won’t be adding fish to the bottom of the soil where the plants are planted or making an elevated steeped bed.

I began by making a circle from sweet corn and from there added garden bean and Spanish bean from beyond that. I then added varieties of winter squash, pumpkins and some butternuts surrounding the four corners on the outer edges.

I have no idea how this will work,
But I’ll keep you all posted over
The next few months. Stay tuned!!