Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash

the three sisters, in the presidential garden

beans growing around corn 

In many Native American cultures, corn, beans, and squash were always planted together and often known collectively as "the three sisters." A number of different versions of this legend exist, the relevant message to us about the garden remain the same: these three crops are strongest when planted together.

beans growing around corn

How does it work? The corn grows tall, providing a ladder for the bean vine to climb. The squash vines stay relatively low, shading the soil in which the crops are growing and holding in moisture. The shade from the squash also helps prevent weeds. In this way, the squash acts as a living mulch. (These are the same reasons we spread straw around most of our crops in both the Parsons and Presidential Gardens.) Beans (legumes) are nitrogen-fixing plants, and may increase the available nitrogen in the plot for future years.

beans growing around corn

Planting crops that benefit one another is known as "companion planting." Crops can physically support one another, such as the corn and beans above, help repel pests, and help attract beneficial insects. We've planted herbs at the ends of many of the beds in the Parsons Garden with that goal. I'm a big fan of the wikipedia page on companion planting, and the WSG use it pretty regularly to try to determine what should be planted where.



Other versions of the Three Sisters story:
-NC Museum of History
-Web Winds
-First People Legends

garlic scapes and tire potatoes

When a garlic plant grows, there are two delicious parts: the garlic bulb, which is found under the soil, and the garlic scape, which is this long, round, sometime twirly stalk that protrudes from the top center of the plant. Picking off this scape allows the plant to dedicate all of its energy to producing the garlic bulb--and the scapes can also be used for food. Scapes have a subtle garlic flavor when cooked, and a pretty powerful garlic flavor when raw. Chopped finely in stir-fries, they're delicious. Or, made into pesto... 

the garlic plant; the scape is the cylindrical stalk that loops around

I made six cups of pesto with garlic scapes, olive oil, almonds, and a little bit of nutritional yeast. It was a bit of a process because the blender I borrowed from Dining Services doesn't function nearly as well as a food processor does...

Left: blending, Right: the final product (mm!)

I saved a small amount to eat immediately (above right), the rest is frozen for use in the fall, or later in the summer

We're also growing potatoes in the presidential garden in tire-stacks and in the ground. Because potatoes benefit from being "mounded", or covered with dirt as they grow, growing them in tires allows more (easy!) mounding, and therefore more potatoes. The only silly decision on the part of WSG was deciding to place these tire stacks at the presidential garden, so that we now have to wheelbarrow our compost up to the presidential garden to fill the tire stacks. They're growing really well, though! Potatoes are ready to harvest as "new potatoes" once the tops of plants flower. They can be harvested full size when the tops of the plants dry and turn brown.

potatoes in tire stacks

potatoes in the ground, at the presidential garden

 the presidential garden