In this episode of green time we will teach you to plant a traditional native american 3 sisters garden.
Three sisters garden raised bed.
In other words adjust the design of your bed according to your climate and soil type.
Watch our video where tricia shows how easy it is to plant using the three sisters method.
In terms of timing it s important that the upright crop has a two to three week head start if it is to serve as a good support for vigorous beans.
The three sisters method is companion planting at its best with three plants growing symbiotically to deter weeds and pests enrich the soil and support each other.
If you plan to create more than one make sure they are at least four to six feet apart.
There the three sisters were planted in beds with soil raised around the edges so that water would collect in the beds see reference 2 below for more information.
You can also plant root crops apart so they don t compete for phosphorous.
For gardeners with sandy soil it s best to grow the three sisters in a slight well as opposed to a hill in the traditional method.
This is especially important if tomatoes have resided in that bed the year before since tomatoes are heavy feeders of calcium.
A three sisters garden is basically a stacked garden that uses three layers to fill the space.
In the center of the mound plant the corn in a circle with the seeds spaced about six to seven inches apart.
This is an idea that has been practiced for centuries and most famously with the three sisters method.
You will learn about how the three sisters are an example of companion planting.
Companion planting is a useful gardening technique of growing certain veggies together to take advantage of their natural tendencies and relationships.
The upright element is traditionally corn but sunflowers or grain sorghum make interesting alternatives.
3 useful soil mixes for raised garden beds and planters.
In today s world of monocropping and overworking the soil we can still learn a lot from this system to practice companion planting and improve soil fertility.
Vegetable gardening how to plant a thr.
Planting buckwheat in a bed helps to add calcium to the soil.
Follow us on face book.