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Making them even more valuable, corn, beans, and squash all could be dried and eaten throughout the winter. In fact, a diet of corn, beans, and squash is nutritionally balanced without the need for other protein sources.Ĭorn kernels are rich in carbohydrates and become a complete protein source when eaten with beans.įull of vitamins and minerals, squash rounds out the diet nutritionally. Not only are the Three Sisters naturally suited to grow well together, they also pack a powerful nutritional punch. In fact, Three Sisters Garden plots tend to produce 20 percent more calories than when the same crops are grown apart. Grown together, Three Sisters crops produce more food with less water and fertilizer. Today, a Three Sisters Garden is a great example of an ecological guild in America because each plant directly benefits the others. However, they soon learned that this biointensive combination-planting method was perfectly suited for the region, as cleared land was difficult to maintain and small Iroquois garden plots needed to produce higher yields than European ones. Since they were used to straight, orderly farm fields, most settlers first dismissed these densely planted gardens as wild. Celebrated as a gift from the Great Spirit, corn, beans, and squash were eaten together for most meals.Īmerican colonists first learned of Three Sisters Gardens over 300 years ago. Women then weeded and hoed these mounds throughout the summer and harvested the crops in the early fall before drying and storing them for winter. Their planting method involved sowing all three seeds in fertilized mounds that prevented the young plants from getting waterlogged. Over the centuries, the Three Sisters gained physical and spiritual importance for the Iroquois. 2)ĭifferent Native American tribes began to integrate these crops into their horticultural traditions, though the Iroquois (also called the Haudenosaunee) first used the phrase “Three Sisters” to describe the practice of growing them together in highly productive garden plots.

Maize, beans, and squash were domesticated in Central and South America and gradually made their way to the American Midwest. When agriculture began in the Americas 7,000 years ago, it quickly changed the landscape and local cultures beyond recognition.

The squash’s large leaves are prickly enough to deter pests from coming close, and they shade out weeds while keeping the soil moist.

The bean roots also help stabilize the corn in heavy winds and fertilize it by “fixing” nitrogen from the air into a form that corn and squash roots can absorb.

As corn stalks grow, they create poles for beans to climb on to gain support and find sunlight without getting outcompeted by the sprawling squash.

The beauty of a Three Sisters Garden comes from the symbiotic relationship between these three crops. Unlike today’s gardens where plant varieties are separated by straight rows, a Three Sisters Garden allows corn, bean, and squash plants to grow together and benefit from each other.