“The Three Sisters” (Corn, Bean & Pumpkin) – Companion Planting Guild.

Over thousands of years, peoples of South America traded & shared this guild along river valleys, until it merged with peoples in North America.  Producing large amounts of surplus, populations were not only sustained – but thrived & grew to what they are today (5).

• Corn.
• Climbing beans.
• Squash or pumpkin.

Steps:

1. Plant 5 CORN PLANTS in the middle.
2. Plant 7 CLIMBING BEAN SEEDS around these.
3. Plant 5 SQUASH (OR PUMPKIN) SEEDS furthest out.

Guild additions for ‘The Three Sisters’:

• Sunflowers.
• Chilli.
• Potatoe.

RAINWATER-HARVESTING EARTHWORKS:

Planting in a pit will help rainwater pool & sink into the plant roots.  And using a boomerang-shaped berm will channel rainwater overflow to the next planting site.  In this way, we maximize the use of rainwater & it’s runoff on slope…

ORGANIC GARDENING & FERTILITY:

Layered mulch (or lasagne gardening) creates organic soil as the garden grows…

Order of placement (ground-layer first):

1. Egg cartons  = barrier between grass & garden.
2. Lucerne hay = adds nitrogen.
3. Soil.
4. Local forest mulch = adds carbon (leaf litter) & local beneficial fungi.
5. Perlite = maximizes growth by reflecting sunlight to the underside of the leaf.

HOW TO CREATE:

1. Choose garden bed locations – roll a ball downhill to ensure rainwater runoff capture.
2. Dig a pit & use the soil to create a boomerang-shaped berm.
3. Lay the garden bed:
   1. Egg cartons.
   1. Hay.
   1. Forest mulch.
   1. Perlite.
4. Plant the guild:
   1. Corn plants.
   1. Bean seeds.
   1. Pumpkin seeds.
5. Water-in:
   1. The berm.
   1. The garden bed.

‘THE THREE SISTERS’ MENU

Permaculture Principle =  “Obtain a yield”…eat it too! 

• Golden cornbread.
• Bean salad.
• Bean cakes.
• Black bean chilli.
• Squash casserole.
• Grilled corn.
• Squash & bean minestrone.
• Spiced creamed corn.
• Kale salad with squash & almonds.
• Corn & zucchini salad.
• Beans, chard & basil.
• Squash tart with fried sage.
• Charred & raw corn with chilli.
• Beans with benne & sorghum.
• Pickled corn.
• Garlicky beans.
• Pumpkin soup.
• Beans & salumi vinaigrette.
• Corn pudding.
• Bean tempura.
• Pumpkin & cashew curry.

Sources: (11) & (12).

REFERENCES:

• The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 1996. Map of Indigenous Australia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/map-indigenous-australia. [Accessed 26 January 2022].

• Sunshine Coast Environment Council. 2022. The Geology of the Sunshine Coast. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.scec.org.au/geology_and_climate. [Accessed 26 January 2022].

• Seed, J., Macy, J., Fleming, P. and Naess, A., 1988. Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings.  New Society Publishers:  Vermont.

• Noosa Forest Retreat’s – Permaculture Course Online. 2019. What is Permaculture & How Can it Meet Our Needs?. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.permaculturecourseonline.com/uncategorized/what-is-permaculture-how-can-it-meet-our-needs/. [Accessed 26 January 2022].

• Steemit. 2019. True Permaculture-Episode 3: Companion Planting. [ONLINE] Available at: https://steemit.com/permaculture/@open3ye/true-permaculture-episode-3-companion-planting. [Accessed 26 January 2022].

• GrowVeg. 2015. Companion Planting: Three Sisters Garden Plans. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.growveg.com.au/guides/companion-planting-three-sisters-garden-plans/. [Accessed 26 January 2022].

• Lancaster, B. and Lipkis, A., 2010. Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 2: Water-Harvesting Earthworks (Vol. 2). Rainsource Press.

• Garden Weasel. 2017. 4 Steps to a Lasagna Garden. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.gardenweasel.com/4-steps-to-a-lasagna-garden/. [Accessed 27 January 2022].

• Cornell University – Department of Agriculture & Life Sciences. 2017. How to Plant the Three Sisters. [ONLINE] Available at: https://gardening.cals.cornell.edu/lessons/curricula/the-three-sisters-exploring-an-iroquois-garden/how-to-plant-the-three-sisters/. [Accessed 27 January 2022].

• Pinterest. 2022. Lenape Crops. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/529173024964746960/. [Accessed 27 January 2022].

• bon appetite. 2014. How to Cook with Corn, Beans, and Squash—the Three Sisters. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/corn-beans-squash. [Accessed 26 January 2022].

• Kimmerer, R.W., 2013. Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions.

With special thanks to…

‘The Health Retreat’

(Kiels Mountain, QLD).

About The Author

About The Author

Chrissy-Tiina Laurikainen

In person + online permaculture teacher. Online permaculture consultant. Upkeep of a 30 acre rural property (using permaculture & other agroecological techniques). A communal research laboratory focusing on free innovation in the works. Doing what I can to support LIFE on planet Earth!!

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