The Three Sisters

Companion Planting with Corn, Beans and Squash 

Both of the small permaculture farms that I have worked on over the past month have had small sections of the garden planted with The Three Sisters. The Three Sisters is a practice originally developed by Native American tribes that planted corn, beans and squash on the same mound.

Native people recognized the beneficial relationship between these three plants, both in the ground and in their diet. Planting these three crops together is an example of companion planting. Companion planting is a term used to describe the inter-cropping of different types of plants that provide some sort of beneficial support to the other plant, often helping to protect from pests and disease. It is becoming more common to see the Three Sisters grown together in current day market gardens and small farms. 

CORN:

The corn stalk offers a natural pole for the beans to climb up and grow.

BEANS:

The beans are a legume, which means that they fix nitrogen in the soil. Legumes are important to have in a crop rotation to convert nitrogen into a useable form that plants can use. Nitrogen is an essential amino acid needed for growth and an important component of chlorophyll.

SQUASH:

The sprawling squash protects the corn and beans with extra shade and helps keep the soil cool and moist.

Additionally, when eaten together, these three foods provide all of the essential amino acids needed to make a complete protein. Corn provides the carbohydrates and complementary amino acids to the beans, dried beans are rich in protein and the squash provides additional vitamins and healthy oils from the seeds. Eaten together, they provide a healthy and complete vegetarian meal. I will be the first to admit that I have a novice level of knowledge about traditional diets and growing techniques, but I am learning more about research that shows the health benefits of traditional diets for both human and soil health.

As I have spent a lot of my time on smaller farms and market gardens, since arriving in New Zealand I am constantly asking how and if any of these techniques are possible to replicate within the larger scale agriculture system. I can see why large scale farms developed the mono-cropping system to increasing mechanization and efficiencies; however, there is an environmental and human health cost to decreasing the diversity of our farms and our diets. Any farmer could tell you the benefits of rotating crops and having a diversified crop mix to help decrease pest and disease pressure. I wonder if there are ways to develop intercropping and companion planting on a larger scale. I would love to see more research done on this topic and trials implemented on a larger scale.

Photo of young corn, beans and squash planted in a garden bed.