3 sisters planting system!

[Skippy]

Has anyone had a go at the 3 sisters planting! Carol Klein featured it on her veg programme, and I had a small scale go at it but as weather was so disastrous last year, don't know if it was the weather or the system that failed!  In a nutshell, it's planting veg that sit well with each other, in this case sweetcorn with beans growing up using the sweetcorn as a support, and courgettes or squash growing round, and in and out of the beans/sweetcorn, on the ground.  It's supposed to be a good use of space too.

[Skippy]

[manicscousers]

we had a big discussion about this, can't remember when, maybe search would bring it up  :)
yes, if you put three sisters in search, it does comeup from may 7th 07  ;D

[elsie]

I'm trying this for the first time this year. Will be using a space about 7 x 9 meteres. I'm going to grow beans that i want  to dry, so I hope that basically I'll be able to leave it to itself until harvest  ;D
Not sure what the best spacing will be yet, hadn't thought about it too much as none of it's sown  ;)

[antipodes]

I am trying it this year! I am going to interplant corn with Coco de Paimpol shelling beans and several types of pumpkin and melons, like green Jap pumpkin, Potimarron plus I am trying green Gallia and orange Charentais melons. It can get quite warm here so they should grow... I am going to bury some manure under the patch for those greedy squashes  ;)
this will be the first time for all these things so it is very experimental!

[Deb P]

Sweetcorn and squash always seem to do well together, it's when you add the beans you often get problems. I believe the native Americans who did this system only used beans for drying purposes, so did not need access for picking during the season, which is where it becomes difficul. Normal CFB also need a lot of moisture, which the Sweetcorn also suck up so the beans often do poorly.

[5rod]

hi 5 rod here
Ihad a go last year and it went well.
this year will be doing  sweetcorn, butter squash and barlotto beans

[Barnowl]

I'm aiming for two sisters - just the corn and squash. If it works might go for the 180 next year.

[Skippy]

Thanks for the comments, very helpful, will keep reading in case more come in!  You have motivated me to try again, maybe on a slightly larger scale that last year, and hope for better weather! Will consider all options, including no beans, or maybe a control patch!  And check again on internet.  Have all 3 on the go in greenhouse, so lets all see how it goes!

[jandy]

We had a go last year, It worked really well but for the beans they where a bit hard to find when the sweet corn and butternut squash had grown so maybe just the 2 sisters this year.

[Columbus]

Hi all,

As others have found the beans seem to be the weak link.

I grow butternut squash around my sweetcorn which works well but the beans never kept up and became slug food. I can meet their needs better when grown apart.

Col

[djbrenton]

We had a go last year, It worked really well but for the beans they where a bit hard to find when the sweet corn and butternut squash had grown so maybe just the 2 sisters this year.

This again goes back to how the native americans used the crops. Basically evrything got harvested together. Take up the squash then chop down the corn/beans when both have dried. Crush the sorn for meal and shell the beans. In this country we tend to pick both sweetcorn and beans fresh rather than later in the season.

The reason for growing all 3 is that they all use different nutrients ( or different amounts which balance out ) and the ground is ready for the next year less depleted than growing a single crop.

[antipodes]

That is why I am growing my Coco de Paimpol shelling beans there but not the green beans  ;)

[bupster]

I was going to try the two sisters, but I'm also thinking of doing some borlotti beans for drying. What do you think, should I have a go? And if so, dwarf beans or climbing? Will the sweetcorn be sturdy enough to bear the beans?