{"id":1099,"date":"2016-07-31T10:10:21","date_gmt":"2016-07-31T14:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelittlehalfacre.com\/staging\/?p=1099"},"modified":"2016-07-31T10:10:21","modified_gmt":"2016-07-31T14:10:21","slug":"the-three-sisters-method","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelittlehalfacre.com\/staging\/the-three-sisters-method\/","title":{"rendered":"The Three Sisters Method"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m employing the three sisters method in my garden — with corn, beans and winter squash — all growing together.\u00a0 This is an ancient system and one that native Americans used but that we “modern folk” haven’t really picked up on.<\/p>\n

The basic principle is that these three vegetables have a symbiotic relationship and, in this case, it’s a tremendously beneficial one.\u00a0 Let’s start with the corn.\u00a0 Corn is a heavy feeder so, to do well, it needs a lot of nitrogen.\u00a0 Enter the beans.\u00a0 The beans pull nitrogen from the air and supply it to the corn through the beans’ roots.\u00a0 In return, the corn supports the twining growth of the bean plants so you don’t need trellising or poles.\u00a0 Cool, right?<\/p>\n

Now for the winter squash.\u00a0 We’ve all seen the huge growth of winter squash plants.\u00a0 They grow, they spread, they bush in gia-normous abandonment.\u00a0 The winter squash plants provide shade for the ground around the corn and bean plants.\u00a0 This helps hold the moisture in the soil and it eliminates the need for weeding.\u00a0 In addition, the prickly stems of the winter squash help keep some of the corn-lovin’ critters away from the tender ears of corn.\u00a0 Here’s what the Three Sisters method looks like here on The Little Half Acre:<\/p>\n