Three Sisters Garden

Throughout North America, the three main crops Native Peoples relied on for sustenance are known as the Three Sisters: Corn, Squash and Beans. Eaten together, these three foods provide essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The fertile South Windsor meadows were an ideal local for Native peoples to garden.

According to many Tribal Nations, the Three Sisters are regarded as divine gifts. Corn, squash and beans grow together in mounds, placed roughly three feet apart. This “sister” method of companion farming clearly demonstrates how Native Peoples had a working knowledge of horticulture and ecology years before modern farming techniques were developed. Planting beans alongside corn helps minimize nutrient depletion.

Beans are the “givers” in the Three Sisters Garden because they enhance the availability of a key nutrient – nitrogen – in the soil. Beans help make nitrogen available by cultivating beneficial bacteria. These bacteria pull nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can use—a process called nitrogen fixation. Pole beans work best in this type of garden, as they benefit from being able to climb the corn stalks. And just as the cornstalks serve as climbing supports for bean vines, the broad squash leaves supply much-needed shade that keeps the soil moist and helps to prevent weeds. Also, the squash leaves’ prickly hairs reduce predation in the garden from rodents and other vermin. When the soil eventually became fallow, the entire village would move to a new location.