Native American Three Sisters Garden

HOW AND WHEN TO PLANT

1. Choose a site in full sun (minimum 6 to 8 hours/day of direct sunlight throughout the growing season). Amend the soil with plenty of compost or aged manure. With string, mark off three 10 foot long rows, each 5 feet apart.

2. In each row, make your corn/bean mounds. The center of each mound should be 5 feet apart from the center of the next. Each mound should be 18 inches across with flattened tops. Stagger the mounds in adjacent rows.

3. Plant 4 to 6 corn seeds in each mound in a 6 inch square. Protect from birds with netting until seedlings are 4 inches tall.

4. When the corn is 6 inches tall, it's time to plant the beans and squash. First, weed the entire patch. Then plant 4 bean seeds in each corn mound. They should be 3 inches apart from the corn plants.

5. Build pumpkin mounds in each row between each corn/bean mound. Make them the same size as the corn/bean mounds. Plant 4 or 5 pumpkin seeds, 4 inches apart in a triangle in the middle of each mound.

6. When the pumpkin seedlings emerge, thin them to 2 plants per mound. You may have to weed the area several times until the pumpkin vines take over and shade new weeds.