The only thing better than a vegetable garden is a vegetable garden with three times as many crops. One home gardener demonstrated how to achieve this using an ancient Indigenous technique, the Three Sisters.
The scoop
In a video, home gardener Jacques (@jacquesinthegarden) demonstrated the approach. "Grow more food with less space in your home garden," he said, "by using the ultimate companion planting technique."
@jacquesinthegarden Grow more food with less space in your home #garden ♬ Walking Around - Instrumental Version - Eldar Kedem
The Three Sisters, which refer to corn, beans, and squash, were developed as a food system by Native Americans in order to use their land effectively. According to the National Agricultural Library, "The Iroquois and the Cherokee called corn, bean, and squash the 'three sisters' because they nurture each other like family when planted together."
It's also an easy technique to manage, Jacques says. First, he plants corn, explaining that "she will provide the bulk of our calories and support for sister No. 2." Three weeks later, he introduces the climbing bean, which will grow on the corn like it would on a trellis.
Once the beans are established, Jacques plants winter squash. She grows quickly, he explains, and "her giant leaves will act as living mulch to shade the ground and keep the water in the patch."
"I've been doing this method for three years now, and every year I'm amazed by how much food I can get out of a small space by planting multiple things together instead of just a monocrop," he concludes, gesturing to his thriving garden.
How it's working
In addition to the physical support that the Three Sisters give each other in a garden bed, they cycle nutrients for each other.
"Beans naturally absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to nitrates, fertilizing the soil for the corn and squash. In return, they are supported by winding around the corn stalks. The squash leaves provide ground cover between the corn and beans, preventing weeds from taking over the field," the NAL explained. "These three plants thrive together better than when they are planted alone."
And for the home gardener, the benefits go beyond efficiency of space. Growing your own food is healthier, as food loses nutritional value the longer it's in transit. Besides, growing at home is a great way to avoid the toxic pesticides applied by most industrial growers.
🗣️ What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home?
🔘 Not enough time ⏳
🔘 Not enough space 🤏
🔘 It seems too hard 😬
🔘 I have a garden already 😎
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Even the act of gardening itself makes people happier and less stressed.
What people are saying
Viewers were eager to try the method themselves. "I literally dream of starting my own garden," one said.
Another shared their own experiences with it. "My family and I used to do this!" they wrote. "It was something my native great great grandmother taught my grandmother, and she taught me."
Others asked whether substitutions could be made. Jacques replied that he had replaced squash with amaranth, melons, and sweet potato.
"Anything that sprawls and leafs out is fair game," he said.
"My grandmother would do okra sometimes to replace corn," another user added.
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