My Three Sisters Garden Produced More Food Using Less Space!

[@jacquesinthegarden]

Here is the article I followed to setup the "Three Sisters Field" style planting. Many people have commented to say they had much better success with the mound method which is also include in the same link! www.nativeseeds.org/blogs/blog-news/how-to-grow-a-three-sisters-garden

[@bethb8276]

Thank you!

[@MyFocusVaries]

Interesting. Just FYI the pronunciation of Iroquois is ear-a-kwah

[@adammartin9747]

Tried this with white eagle corn, trail of tears beans, and Lakota pumpkins. The corn made enough to grow more next year, but not enough to eat too. Same for beans. Squash vine borers got the squash.

[@pastihijau5043]

Thank you

[@kaylahall1219]

Ecological food conservatories are amazing!

[@domesti-city]

I used to plant mammoth sunflowers in a large circle, then my beans at the base. Once the sunflowers were finished I tied the tops together to make a teepee for my small children, and the dogs liked it for the shade inside. Had I known I could do it, I would have put mushrooms inside.

[@jacquesinthegarden]

Dang that sounds really cool, might have to try it next year!

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

I've done this with wine caps, and I've found elegant stinkhorns (also edible) growing in there as well. Mushrooms break down my woodchip mulch super fast, so it's a win-win.

[@domesti-city]

@@FrozEnbyWolf150 Are you in Southern California? Just wondering where you sourced your wine caps?

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

@@domesti-city No, North Jersey, zone 7b. I've gotten them from Field and Forest Products, though there are other brands as well.

[@domesti-city]

@@FrozEnbyWolf150 Thank you!

[@michaelireefe8118]

I am indigenous (Hopi) and it’s so inspiring to see people continue to learn from my ancestors. These are ancient practices. Most don’t understand that we not only grew plants but we had a relationship with them, even in present tense. We are still living, breathing and growing on indigenous land. Food sovereignty is so powerful. It has reminded me who I am

[@JackOfAllTrades0404]

Much respect to the natives of turtle island. If we all listened to Mother Earth and learned to work with her instead of against we wouldn’t be dealing with climate change like we are now.

[@dekumutant]

Lmao what

[@BaronOBeefDip]

What are you having trouble understanding? ​@@dekumutant

[@thinking7667]

I loved learning how ancient native Americans pretty much developed the corn we have today. Through selective breeding and agriculture they turned something that was very small and barely edible to something large, calorie dense and nourishing that has supported the sustenance of millions of people.

[@thomasbynens4557]

@@thinking7667I also admire ancient civilizations for the patience and hard work it took to make plants what they are today, but this is something all humans did, and still do to this very day

[@RuralRootsLiving]

I've heard of doing this with African crops. Okra, black eyed peas, and watermelon. As well as doing it in circles if you have the space.

[@jacquesinthegarden]

That would be a great combination as well! And very drought tolerant

[@ninjalemurdude]

I'm literally doing this and didn't know it was a thing. I just know these are some of the few plants that can survive the summer heat where I live.

[@andrewhammill6148]

I did this with marginal success this year, but only 2 sisters. (The other sister didn't want to participate - LOL). I did okra and beans.

[@adammartin9747]

I used sweet potatoes instead of watermelon and got lots of okra and black eyed peas, despite the stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs. Got a 5 gallon bucket of sweet potatoes out of the patch, but some kind of grub got 2/3s of the yield.

[@ninjalemurdude]

@@adammartin9747 Oh yeah, I also have sweet potatoes. They work great with okra and black eyed peas! The only pests I get are fire ants on my black eyed peas and okra. The don't hurt the black eyed peas, but they chew on the okra and leave make the fruit rot before they're ready to pick, so I've been at war with them for the past few months. 😭 I haven't pulled up any sweet potatoes yet, it's still pretty warm here. Hopefully, nothing has gotten to them.

[@ulla.umlaut]

I plant beans everywhere something is growing tall. Amaranth, check. Sunflowers, check. Tomato cages, check. They're living plant ties and a passive crop I harvest at the end of the season. Useful thing I've learned; sunflowers and amaranth don't turn yellow as fast as corn, so it's easier to see your dry beans!

[@jacquesinthegarden]

That is a cool insight! I did not consider at all that the beans would look like dead corn at the end of the season haha.

[@robertcotrell9810]

This never occurred to me, so definitely my plan for the future!

[@Davefinney370]

Another KZbin genius. No, I’m not being sarcastic.

[@toaster5652]

As a Mexican this is the classic way we do it. In Mexico the staple of everyone in the town. Some grow mre than others to sell the public, and of course for the farm animals as well.

[@williammaxwell1919]

I have also heard from various sources that the people living in desert areas traditionally would dig a hole, put a fish he'd in it, partially backfill, and then plant a corn seed. As the fishhead decomposes, it releases nutrients for the corn and all the organisms in the soil.

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

I tried the Three Sisters this year but made the mistake of using Tahitian butternut as the squash. If you're not familiar with this variety, Tahitian butternut is notorious for taking over the entire garden, with vines that grow extremely fast and crawl all over everything. This dragged down my cornstalks, smothered my beans, and spread all over the walking paths. I ended up having to stake the corn, ironically. The good news is that I know now that corn can grow in my environment, and the types of beans that grow best here are scarlet runner, mayocoba, and soybean.

[@thinking7667]

I'm growing Tahitian butternut squash but it's still small. I hope I can manage it. What growing zone are you in? I'm in the Northeast US in zone 7. Maybe mine won't go crazy

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

@@thinking7667 Same, coastal zone 7b, which is the continental climate zone. This year I'm planning to trellis the Tahitian butternut so that it grows up to the garage roof, and doesn't smother my other plants.

[@onedazinn998]

If you plant your 3 sisters in raised mounds in the same area, I think your beans and squash will do much better. You might get less corn, but you'll have sun for your squash if you plant it on the sun side. Beans won't mind the shade at all. Check out info on growing the traditional mound style.

[@zacherybutter7349]

You can do a square-ish shaped mound and grow four corn plants. It might be a good idea if you have the shape to try.

[@justowningu]

Really cool that you had the patience to record throughout the growing season. Was nice to see the full process from planting to harvest, thanks!

[@courtneycullen6289]

I started doing this with tomatoes and peas. I have a ton of tomato plants still winding up and they make great trellises for peas and beans. And then I tuck some cool season flowers around them. I am so inspired by interplanting. Maybe I will try corn next year!?

[@Seraph318]

Do you have any issues with powdery mildew when pairing tomatoes and beans? I have held off trying that since they are both fairly affected by it, but may give it a shot now! I thought with tomatoes, it was best to make sure they have plenty of airflow

[@williammaxwell1919]

​@Seraph318 some varieties are more susceptible than others. If you have enough space, try a "small patch" to experiment with. Some people recommend selective pruning of tomatoes, others not. To me, a lot of my gardening was based on "try it and see [what happens]" as it wasn't vital to my family and my survival that I succeeded every time as there was numerous supermarkets and grocer's within easy walking distance (yeah, I know... not very resilient)

[@jacquesinthegarden]

Very cool and unique interplanting!

[@paulineferrill4348]

Hey no one said your garden had to be for self-sufficiency! Personally I like to grow weird varieties that you can't find at the store, like charentais melons.

[@nathanbattles3958]

I was taught as a child to make mounds with a fish in them then later plant 5 corn then when a few inches beans who use the corn stalk as a lattice then squash on the outer edges of the mounds to protect from bugs

[@ImGlyn]

This is great timing for me in Australia, Jacques! I already have my corn at about 10" high & never thought of 3 Sisters. Thank you so much, I'm planting beans as we speak 🌱🌱🌱

[@katehowe2479]

It's Labour weekend here in New Zealand and generally people will start to plant their summer garden. This vid is perfect timing for us. Thanks Jacques!

[@tashmartin8869]

Fellow kiwi here! I absolutely agree! I don't have heaps of space, I've got corn ready to plant, I just haven't because I can't work out where I'm going to put it all! And I've got pumpkin and bean seeds ready to plant, I'm absolutely going to do this too! So helpful! Good luck with your 3 sisters! 🌽🌽

[@terrivance8750]

Jacques, Didn't realize it was the corn husks that were used to make dye. I'd love to see a video on how it's done. 😊

[@grannyfisher3863]

Nice video. There is a type of fungus that sometimes grows on corn called "corn smut" or Huitlacoche, which is a delicacy south of the border. You can cook it like mushrooms. Thanks for letting us watch the progress of your three sisters garden.

[@jacquesinthegarden]

I wish I had that instead of straight mold haha, I have always wanted to try it fresh.

[@themusenextdoor]

​@jacquesinthegarden I think it prefers semi-arid climates. I've never been confident enough in my mycology skills to eat any fungus I didn't plant, so it goes uneaten when it shows up in my garden. EDIT: apparently, we're both in semi-arid climates, but the temperature and moisture cycles are so different that I didn't even recognize it!

[@Hi_Im_Akward]

I was curious if it was that type of fungus. I wonder if it's possible to propagate it.

[@wildkev1010]

I'm in the same sinking bean boat as you Jacque. I live in Zone 9b (an hour away from SD) and my beans never seem to really take off. Forever trying to get a decent bean harvest

[@jacquesinthegarden]

Some day we will figure it out!

[@Seraph318]

I live in 10a currently (Central FL) and I have the most success with beans over the coldest months. I planted a round of Pinto beans with Banana squash around the middle of September and built a rough trellis around them. Right when it started to cool down around the beginning of October, they took off and are already looking nearly done. But they never seem to grow well for me when I sow them after March/April - into the hot months. The way I think about it: our summer is hotter/more intense than most other places in the US altogether (in general), and our fall/winter is probably closer to lower zone's spring (60's-70's). I think January for us tends to be the coldest, maybe low 30's on a cold year? So that's when I try to have them harvested by and plant my roots instead. Then just leave the really hot weather crops for the dead heat when nothing else will really thrive (peppers/tomatoes/etc.). I hope that helped a bit :D I had a rough time with beans for a while, and only noticed this one year when I had nothing going on over the cooler months and just did a trial.

[@yeevita]

@@Seraph318 Same. I am in the high desert of CA. Beans I plant in spring going in to summer always die in summer before they can produce anything. Beans I grow in late summer or Aug/Sept, I can usually get a crop before they die to being too cold. So like right now is my green bean season. They seem to be susceptible to mites still, but are producing.

[@krystlerevia1715]

I have had the best success with beans in the fall garden. They didn’t die until we got a hard frost. 8b SE Texas.

[@XavierAndFriendsOfficalChannel]

When we grow our second generation plants from seeds we took from our harvest, grown in our plots, the genetics of those seeds are adapted to the local environment, giving it a head start on any other bought seed, that was grown somewhere else. Every year, our seeds become better adapted for the local environment. It pays well, to save seeds from each crop we grow. Jen. Watching and praying from Australia. ❤️🙏🕊️❤️

[@maryschrier651]

Have you read "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder? She tells about the 2 sisters method used by the Ingalls family in NY state. Interestingly, they used the squash as winter feed for their cattle. I think of that every time I see farms discing in the unsold /unpicked pumpkins in their fields. It would be a good "free" nutrition boost for their chickens, pigs, and cattle.

[@BornIn1500]

Those unsold pumpkins getting put back in the field is fertilizer for next year's crop. It's not being wasted. If they use them for cattle feed, then they'd have to buy something else for fertilizer.

[@JD200_]

I’ve seen farms fence off these areas so cows could feed on the waste products. Then the cows return the nutrients to the soil through manure

[@This_Holy_Chaos]

I’m so glad I saw this video! I was already planning on doing a row of corn along a fence that is south facing, but now I can add in beans, and try some kind of a squash at its face, which I totally hadn’t even remembered when I was thinking about doing the corn. Thank you so much for the reminder!

[@CWorgen5732]

Corn generally does better in a block planting, as it pollinates more thoroughly. Consider that you might get a better harvest with a double row ❤

[@w1ndex]

My grandparents had a lot more space between the corn rows in the garden where they planted beans and squash. They planted it close together in the field.

[@oldstandingwoman]

I plant Scarlet runner beans every year. I love them. I found out that they are a native to Central America and a perennial. Their roots are huge. I am in zone 7b so too cold to over winter out of doors. I am going to try potting up some roots and bringing them in where it is cool and dark and see what happens. They do need a long growing season and I was late planting this year so while they look great it is unlikely they will dry this year. Fortunately I have enough seed from last year for next year .

[@jacquesinthegarden]

Have you tried eating their tubers? We tried some the first year, it was interesting sort of like a sunchoke!

[@christophergetchell6490]

I had very similar results from my three sisters! My pumpkins that were growing around the periphery took over before they were killed by powdery mildew midsummer after all of the rain. I'll probably plant my beans, which did very poorly in comparison right around the same time to keep them growing well with the corn!

[@Infinite_Curiosity00]

Thank you for showing the full process. I've been wanting to do this and you answered all the questions I had.

[@a.l.a.7847]

Such a great project and teaching tool for all of us -- thank you! The beans are indeed gorgeous and we hope your bean gods are more benevolent next year!

[@andrewsackville-west1609]

Nice video. About your surprisingly vigorous corn. You grew from saved seed, which means you likely, possibly inadvertently, have started to select for traits that work well in your conditions -- a land race corn adapted to your specific conditions. Thats pretty cool!

[@marvinbrock960]

The little board trick is ingenious.. I’ve used it for carrots.. never even thought about it for keeping straight lines..

[@horasan50]

We used to do that in overseas when I was a kid, my mom's garden was like that 40-50 years ago too.

[@yeihngam9904]

Would love to try this in my future home(hopefully soon) For the corn, we usually let the corn mature, pluck them and then let them dry near the chimney. It works quite well.

[@bethsands7665]

3 sisters idea is awesome for springtime, but it is October. Okay, I saw your April 28 planting date ! Awesome time lapse ! Fun.

[@emkn1479]

That’s a nice looking bean. Gotta try this next year! I planted corn and squash together in an attempted succession planting and if I would have had a couple more weeks of good weather, it would have worked really well! Early, weirdly cool temperatures foiled my plans.

[@LiamLMcG]

I thought you were doing a garden tour of a garden owned by three of your sister.😂😂 I don't know if you have three sisters but since I'm still learning I didn't know it was a gardening method.😂

[@smile30981]

Great video and I've planned a 2024 4x4 bed to be my Three Sisters home! No yard work for me this weekend though - snow here in Denver, CO!

[@jackiehorsley9263]

You did pretty good with the Three sisters method I did that one year in my garden I planted beans around my corn that was my first time doing that

[@LhousGreenLife]

Wow!!!Another Amazing and productive day with your garden Jacques, and I hope all is well with you and your family! God Bless!😍

[@Casandra-e7g]

Your garden looks like so much fun. Plus you have chooks. Just walking around it would brighten your day.

[@marvinbrock960]

Have you ever considered planting your corn on double rows.. about 6-7 inches apart.. helps with germination and saves a ton of space at the same time. 👍🏻

[@wombatstriker]

I was really looking forward to this video in the spring when you mentioned planting it. Interesting results. I tried a take on the 3 sisters this year with field corn, a mix of black and kidney beans, a mix of zucchini and winter squash, and a few jalapenos sprinkled around the outside to hopefully keep the squirrels and deer away. The corn and black beans did quite well, kidney beans ok, and everything else in varying stages of poorly. I had to harvest the corn a little early too because the critters were getting into it. It was a fun experiment though, and it wasn't a total failure at least.

[@jacquesinthegarden]

I love being interplanted mixed garden beds! That sounds like an interesting combination, sorry to hear about the pest pressure!

[@mistsister]

I don't know why, but every time i open KZbin on my PC this video comes up. Each time i marvel at your nasturtiums. Mine always look like crap. Beautiful flowers, great advice. You rock.

[@stephaniejohnson4974]

Thanks for sharing the process with us, Jacques! I started mine at the end of our very hot summer in central TX, and so far I have a few corn cobs, the beans are coming along nicely but the squash is just like yours--shaded out by the corn. Live and learn, I say, and I'll re-orient next year. Your videos are so informative and very much appreciated:)

[@daisyblooms4813]

I love these videos that show the beginning to end of a project. Thanks Jacques!

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

That's so funny...I was trying to figure out how you were going to make matzo out of your corn patch. A little slow today. 😂

[@jacquesinthegarden]

Haha slow days going around, I'm in the same boat

[@victoriabarclay3556]

All I kept thinking is that’s a lot of great dry material for the compost. I gave a hard time getting safe dry material here in the humid south. Had to laugh at myself. The squashes look wonderful!

[@noramccarthy2098]

I love this and have wanted to try it for a couple years. Thanks for this awesome tutorial. Gonna do it!!

[@MiskaReads]

I'd really love if you would please do an update as you plant this again this year. I want to perfect it for a variety of reasons in my home (they are the main foods I love, I am Haudenosaunee descended, and regenerative agriculture is my passion).

[@megansuttonmercado8419]

I’ve been allowing horse weed to grow in my yard as a pollinator food source and small habitat, and the stalks are really strong. I’m going to try to plant some runner beans around the edge to see if they can work as stakes.

[@mybelovedchaos]

I love his attitude! Keep up the awesome videos Jacques and thanks a bunch!

[@christinap5148]

Thank you for such a thorough video from planting to harvest! This was so helpful!

[@robinhazeslip1800]

This is GREAT! I love the idea of 3 sisters, for space saving and companion planting, but there is not much positive videos out there for it...thnks again!

[@Eli-vj2wc]

I also live in San Diego and have been watching epic gardening for years now. I wish I could garden with you or meet you and Kevin!Could you possibly organize a meet and greet in San Diego?

[@jacquesinthegarden]

We have gone to a majority of the San Diego seed swaps! The last one was in liberty station and I believe one is coming up at the end of the month.

[@Eli-vj2wc]

Oh that’s great where can I find the seed swap? Or what website would I go to find a seed swap?

[@mikimasumoto7392]

I love this tutorial. I learned something new about gardening and will try it soon. Thank you, Jacque

[@betweenthewildrows]

Going to be trying this method for the first time this season - so excited! Thank you for all the info. Your videos and knowledge are always such an inspiration. ✌🏼🌟

[@RJack1915]

Jacques we started growing Christmas pole beans, the first year we grew them we got 7 lbs, since then our totals have been down to 1lb or so. Last year we had an early frost which killed the vine and we hardly got anything. That first year the vine was growing in a mess around climbing spinach but that was best year.

[@darktoranaga]

The way we did it when I was a kid is a little different. First, the distance between rows was a little bigger, so you could actually walk between them. Beans were planted inline with the corn, so you don't step on them. Pumpkins were planted inline too, just not as often as the beans. Corn was left to dry in the field, but not quite that hard. I'm not sure about timing, it was a long time ago, but I think the pumpkins were planted together with either the corn, or the beans. I forgot to mention, this was in Romania.

[@tfriendsb2016]

Love the seeing the whole process in a video Idk why I thought corn was unattainable for me to grow but I already did 2 sisters got some unexpected pumpkins

[@helenkoenig3876]

I tried the 3 sisters style of planting some years ago. Results??? I planted everything probably too close. At any rate everything "hatched" and the beans grew from corn plant to corn plant - which would not have been a problem if I had been raising corn for grinding. However the corn was sweet corn and I really wanted to eat those tender kernels. Unfortunately the beans thought otherwise and strongly resisted - and won! (BTW - sweet corn when dried does make good cornbread!) Picking beans was like harvesting sweet corn. Too many bean vines invariably going across where I wanted to walk. And then there were the squash (winter squash or pumpkins) Winter squash did reasonably well. at least those that grew did. However the many squash seedlings I had seen in the late spring did not survive the IL summer nor the many plants all using large amounts of nitrogen. Would I do this again? Possibly but with a LOT of changes and definitely a different spacing, etc. However, at the present - it won't happen this year, nor probably the next or the one after that!

[@jacquesinthegarden]

Its a fun experiment and I suspect that regionally the style of planting varies quite a lot! I know I will be adapting the way I do it for next year.

[@lil1010devil]

Thanks for sharing!! I loved this long form format where we saw the developments through the season!!

[@Seraph318]

I was actually planning on starting a 3-sisters garden next spring! Thanks for the video Jacques You mentioned that you enjoy making bean soups, would you have a favorite recipe that you'd recommend? I enjoy growing beans but sometimes don't really know what to do with them aside from stir-fry or steam lol.

[@williammaxwell1919]

I used to grow Madagascar Beans, great to add to dishes like pumpkin or potatoe soup and stews (canavor, vegetarian and vegan). With soups, dried and soaked beans, thicken the consistency (I'd blend my soups because my kids prefered it that way) and add a broader range of minerals and other goodies. Don't be afraid to experiment; take your favourite soup and experiment. The worst you can do is have a culinary fail, though it may turn out to be the most amazing soup you've prepared. Google whatever soup you want to make with added beans; you'll get way too many hits, but read them for inspiration. The first time I try a new recipe, I invariably try a variation based on my avaliable ingredients and my palate (some herbs and spices I prefer, others not so) resulting in some very surprising and yummy results (some not so yummy) I used to tell my kids "Only the Gardner and the Cook can play with food!"

[@jacquesinthegarden]

My favorite is Bulgarian "Bob Chorba" which translates to bean broth/soup. Its pretty simple and lets the beans really shine through! So delicious with a hearty slice of sourdough garlic toast

[@Alison2436]

also corn smut is the corn fungus thst develops and its actually a delicacy. u can eat it, my husband tried ours, he said it didn't taste like much, so it'll probably absorb flavor from whatever u cook it with

[@catshortcake]

Loved the bean asmr. One of many gardening joys 😅

[@beckymartinez9926]

I really enjoyed watching this. You’ve inspired me to give it a try.

[@jameshorwath4960]

Thank you for the vids, most appreciated. I would say that I have done the 3 sisters in the past, and the best bean I found was Dragon Tongue. I planted within the corn, as opposed to outside, and it thrived. I'm sure you know it is a mutli-purpose bean, beautiful and delicious. Again, thanks for all you do, righteous. EDIT: and forgot Fortex, it's one of our favorites. Sorry I forgot it.

[@quincyberman5629]

I have have tried 3 sisters a few times and have had good luck planting the squash at the same time as the corn.

[@bethsands7665]

Your broccoli looks great . Yes, we learn from you and from year to year. Do you think cornmeal sprinkled on the soil helps control cut-worms ? I believe it works as I had a problem with cutworms annihilating my brassica seedlings and now they are finally growing bigger.

[@headq100]

do yourself a favor and research a little bit on ideal growing conditions and soil for the beans. Beans are one of the odd garden vegetable plants because a few of them are nitrogen fixing plants. They add nitrogen to the soil but they also leach out a few other nutrients too. It could be as simple as adding a little fertilizer, organic or store bought, to the soil to get better yields. Or worst case scenario you have to adjust the pH level which is a little more involved. but the work is almost always worth the effort. even adjusting the pH and testing the level isn't all that difficult, just a little extra effort. But for better yields and more beans come harvest time, one or two extra days of soil prep is worth it. but that's just my 2 cents. Hope you enjoy your garden next year.

[@UrbanChickens123]

Wow what a harvest🤩 definitely going to try this!

[@duxdawg]

For Three Sisters you plant 3-4 kernels per hole and do NOT thin. When the corn is knee high, then plant the beans.

[@murfy6189]

I’d really like to see you do this next year again. And also thinking of the three sisters and culture stuff. I love when you share stuff from Bulgaria and also this is cool becasue it’s from native Americans. Can you do more culture stuff?

[@amandawolford7805]

I’m learning to garden! Loving it!! But this Louisiana climate is crazy insane. Still in the 90’s during the days, but maybe around 60 one night and 30’s the next 🤦🏻‍♀️ my flower beds have done well for years, tho. Fingers crossed I have a big harvest so I can share and give away!!

[@princeofprussia9120]

You should use inoculant to treat your bean seeds before planting, so they fix nitrogen and grow more vigorously. I think that was your issue.

[@HostileHairline]

Winter squash ROCKS. 10/10 would grow again

[@StSdijle]

thanks for this nice flik. In particular it makes very clear that the 3 sisters is mainly for dried beans and corn. Too bad that it would not work in my climate, in the best case I can get sweetcorn. It will never ripen before the fall rain sets in.

[@nevergivingup1]

Thanks so much for putting the dates lol. i thought it was during this season that you were planting corn. 😅. Thats an awesome experiment you did. 🙌🏽

[@Alison2436]

love these companion planting videos. can u guys do some more? Love to learn what else companions well

[@ElderandOakFarm]

I like growing 2 sisters- corn & beans. Every time I try melons or squash they arent ready until much later than the corn & beans. Even when i try to plant them earlier than the corn & beans.

[@baumeister5705]

I had my mother teach me this, it was spring and it was almost 8 years ago now, she had pay cuts at work, so she taught me about the three sisters, we had produce all summer and the only thing my mom had to stress about was buying meat, potatoes, milk and clothing.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Great experiment Jacques. I'm going to try that next Spring. I have not had much luck with squash here. For sure ill try to plant it on the sunny side of tge corn. 😊.

[@GardeningcanBfree]

Maybe try Inter planting the bean and the corn, when the corn plants get up to about a foot plant the beans in-between the corn stocks and have it grow with the corn and provide it nitrogen.

[@desertflower9557]

I appreciated this video, it filled in some questions I had as to where in proximity I should be sowing the bean seeds. Is there a certain kind of squash that we should be planting. I’ve never planted squash before and I notice they need a lot of space for their leaves. I am attempting to grow 3 sisters in a 2x4 raised bed.

[@gwendolynwebster7722]

Jacques, this is fantastic! So fun to watch the entire process.

[@uberLejoe]

The sun! That sucks. I've done it before where I've gotten so excited to plant and garden that I forgot to consider what parts will be getting the most sun/angle of the tallest plants. Good job regardless!

[@robo3644]

Maybe you could even use the shade and mulch as food for mushrooms and give the three sisters a small little brother 😊

[@Interventionroblox]

I saw your youtube short and it made me watch the full vid what a strategy that is

[@gooddogtrainingservices5351]

I’ve heard of the fourth sister sunflowers trying to add them in the mix as well

[@rockyusa2012]

Nice video. I was able to grow corn and beans this year. I surprised myself 🎉

[@terrivance8750]

Jacques, Do you inoculate your soil before planting your beans? I've read that this can help improve bean production. Hope this helps. 😊

[@jacquesinthegarden]

I have tried it a few times and in the end my beans just never flourish enough for me to able to see a difference.

[@ellenkuang8853]

I would LOVE to see you try huitlacoche (aka corn smut) someday if you accidentally grow some in your corn. It is absolutely delicious and the US is a total sucker for breeding strains to resist it. Coulda been such a market in Latin America with how much corn we grow. 😅

[@jacquesinthegarden]

For sure would have loved to get some!

[@tamidavis3730]

How do you eat it? I wound up with quite a few ears with it on there last year but couldn't bring myself to try it😂

[@draunt7]

That corn fungus is actually a delicacy, and you could leave some of the corn on the dried out stalk to ferment and fully turn.

[@jacquesinthegarden]

My understanding was that the corn fungus was when it was still fresh corn?

[@draunt7]

@@jacquesinthegarden Yeah it might be the rotting corn on the living stalk that's required. Tho we do use that fungus as a taco filling in indigenous dishes if you ever get some.

[@Gkrissy]

I failed at my attempt this year for 3 sisters. The beans didn't germinate in my clay soil and I had issues with squash this year due to watering issues. But I did get dent corn.

[@wcoastgardener209]

Hi. What color Greenstalk is that? It looks really good with the terra-cotta color. Love the flowers in your garden.

[@jacquesinthegarden]

Its the exclusive Oasis color that we sell at EpicGardening: growepic.co/3FrRrbs

[@diegomonteirobatera]

This planting system is fascinating

[@karenicox9026]

I have tried to grow scarlet runner beans for 3 years. This year I was given 3 beans to try again. They grew beautifully and have beautiful flowers but the beans will not set. I have had 3 beans off the 3 plants. I think my climate is too hot so perhaps if I plant earlier or later when it is cooler?

[@draunt7]

This is y u grow them in mounds instead of a square. Mounds enable more sunlight through

[@jacquesinthegarden]

That actually does make sense, will try mounds next time!

[@pristineperistome5696]

And mounds heat the soil faster correct?

[@BosseInTheGarden]

love your channel. corn is quite tough for us to grow down here in Florida. my pumpkins and melons kept getting devoured as soon as they set by stink bugs...ohh Florida lol

[@erikahuxley]

I used to grow in South Florida, the entire native soil there have root knot nematodes, so they infect and steal nutrients from many plants, hence its nearly impossible to grow certain crops like corn there. But I did grew corn there in containers, but with fresh potting mix and not put native soil in it, and I make sure to raise the container above the ground. Brassica is one type of plant that resist root knot nematodes.

[@BosseInTheGarden]

@@erikahuxley thank you Erika! Great to know 😃

[@NotPalliot]

I'm going to do this this year! Looks good.

[@miss_frosting]

Hey, runner beans are known the UK (where they are ubiquitous at allotments) to not cope well with high temperatures. they prefer a cooler summer. That probably explains their popularity here I guess; UK summers aren't usually hot... I think they also require a fair bit of moisture (like in a soggy UK summer..) but what with the success of the corn maybe there wasn't enough moisture to go around.. Perhaps there's another bean you can grown with better success? My first through was a Mediterranean type bean (gigante, borlotti etc)..

[@jacquesinthegarden]

Gigante beans would be great, I have had moderate success with them here in the past, good idea!

[@Josef_R]

Man, I thought my corn spacing was tight at 12".

[@jacquesinthegarden]

It honestly felt wrong going so tight but the yield was great!

[@pandywilson9076]

Very inspiring raccoons got ALL my corn last year so i didn't plant this year. But i may try this next season.

[@terrivance8750]

Jacques, Just thought you'd be interested in knowing...& perhaps getting a chuckle from: The word "corn," referring to the veggie, is both singular & plural. The word "corns," however, refers to a nasty growth on people's feet...definitely NOT something you'd want to eat. 😉😆

[@matthewgardner824]

Very informative. Do you know if you can grow 3 sisters with sweet corn, green beans and summer squash? Does it matter the type of bean, squash and corn? Maybe snap peas as well? Thanks

[@michellecolledge2355]

I'm so doing this. Excited as.