Three Sisters Garden Raised Bed

This is especially important if tomatoes have resided in that bed the year before since tomatoes are heavy feeders of calcium.

Three sisters garden raised bed.

The upright element is traditionally corn but sunflowers or grain sorghum make interesting alternatives. In the center of the mound plant the corn in a circle with the seeds spaced about six to seven inches apart. This is an idea that has been practiced for centuries and most famously with the three sisters method. There are many ways to plant a three sisters garden whether you have sandy soil or hard clay have a lot of land or are restricted to a raised bed.

There the three sisters were planted in beds with soil raised around the edges so that water would collect in the beds see reference 2 below for more information. The three sisters method is companion planting at its best with three plants growing symbiotically to deter weeds and pests enrich the soil and support each other. A three sisters garden is basically a stacked garden that uses three layers to fill the space. Watch our video where tricia shows how easy it is to plant using the three sisters method.

You can also plant root crops apart so they don t compete for phosphorous. In today s world of monocropping and overworking the soil we can still learn a lot from this system to practice companion planting and improve soil fertility. Whether growing in pots raised beds or the ground take time to feed your soil with some good organic amendments such as compost and steer manure or organic potting soil which includes most of. In this episode of green time we will teach you to plant a traditional native american 3 sisters garden.

You can also use a raised bed for the three sisters method if you have poor soil or drainage. In other words adjust the design of your bed according to your climate and soil type. In terms of timing it s important that the upright crop has a two to three week head start if it is to serve as a good support for vigorous beans. If you plan to create more than one make sure they are at least four to six feet apart.

3 useful soil mixes for raised garden beds and planters. You will learn about how the three sisters are an example of companion planting. For gardeners with sandy soil it s best to grow the three sisters in a slight well as opposed to a hill in the traditional method. Planting buckwheat in a bed helps to add calcium to the soil.