Vegetable Gardening: Three Sisters Update

Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, and her daughter Ale, check up on the Three Sisters Garden in a raised bed.

Companion planting what the Iroquois(and other Native American Nations) valued as the sustainers of life: beans, corn, and squash. Watch the video and learn how to plant them in a raised bed.

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FULL TEXT:

Patti Moreno: I dunno!

Ale: It's a cool lookinh weed.

Patti Moreno: Hi! I am Patti Moreno the Garden Girl and I am giving you a little update on my Three Sisters Garden. I planted it about two weeks ago. Did you realize that I planted a Three Sisters Garden here?

Ale: No, I don't even know what Three Sisters is?

Patti Moreno: Okay the Three Sisters Garden is an Iroquois practice from the Iroquois Native Americans.

Ale: Oh, yeah, like me and Dad saw in the museam.

Patti Moreno: Exactly, they used to grow their corn in the middle and their beans around it and the beans would grow up the corn stalk and the beans would actually help the corn stalk to be more rigid. So in the wind --

Ale: It was like, if the wind was blowing they would not fall down.

Patti Moreno: Exactly and then the beans give nitrogen to the soil and corn needs nitrogen to grow. So, that helps and then the squash which I planted a bunch of different varieties of, the squash covers the ground since it's a vine and doesn't allow any sunlight in which keeps the weeds down and often keeps the moisture in because it's not heating up and the water isn't evaporating.

Ale: Yeah, as I was looking it was like and if there were no weeds and I was like, how do you do then that?

Patti Moreno: Exactly.

Ale: Yeah.

Patti Moreno: I am Patti Moreno the Garden Girl.

Ale: Thanks for watching.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• DIY home and garden
• gardening with kids
• kids gardening

[epit31]

Nice Video Patti, Thanks for honoring our Native Tribes for the Three Sisters History and teachings. I have also been told by our elders that ashes should be spread on the soil before the seeds even germinate. This helps prevent bugs and other possible fungus and parasites... The wood for the highest quality hardwood usually an apple tree preferred is saved for the corn crops, the ashes used in the three sisters garden. I tried it for our first year garden and the corn was bountiful and sweet!!

[GardenGirltv]

Thanks for the tip. I've been making terra preta this year so I will do that .

[AAAAkuuuu]

I wonder how they knew about the corn and beans nitrogen flow.

Brilliant stuff!

Know how to rain dance?!

[GardenGirltv]

I haven't need to do it this year. We've had more rain than a little.

[MixtressTV]

Thak you so much for posting these videos it's because of this channel I got up the nerve to purchase seeds to grow in my apartment I haven't gotten around to planting them yet but at at least I have the courage to do it and I owe it to this Again channel thank you so much for having the courage to post these informative videos.

[GardenGirltv]

Start Today, Save Tomorrow!

[soulshakedown909]

awesome! i thought i would be cramped for space, but you seem to have no problems w/a small area. 3 beautiful ladies! peace and blessings.

[KallyJones]

Very nice Patti; love watching you on IAPTV "Growing a greener world".

[roseofvenus]

About the traditional planting techniques for the three sisters is that the corn was planted first, then weeks later the beans were planted, the squash... They will only grow together in the proper way like this...otherwise it is all out of balance. It is important not to simplify the complexities of Native AMerican tradition and knowledge...

I love your videos! Keep em coming!

[epit31]

The three sisters garden is ancient and sacred, not much has been written about this at all. I can share you personal stories and its significance through personal email if you wish. Inbox me or email at eva.nicholas@gmail.com

Curious if you can help me find one of your videos, on the 13 moons, believe you may have this on youtube, you did this sponsored by farmer's almanac if my memory serves me correct, could be wrong, but it would be nice to see. Thanks

We'laliaq e'pit

Mi'kmaq Nation

[rptolan]

Cute and informative! I learned something

[emt845]

Quick question Patti-when you initially planted your Three Sisters Bed, you planted four corn plants per mound. Did you thin it out when they got bigger or let all four plants grow? I'm going to try a Three Sisters Bed (4'x8') this spring. I was planning on one corn per square but I'm wondering if I can plant them closer? Thanks.

[agbz]

I am saying that in a respectful way--what a way to sell gardening! If it works, why not?! Patti has a lot to offer urban gardeners. I especially liked the episode on irrigation with the DirtWorks guy.

[agbz]

gardening plus cleavage, what a combo!

[Lugarurmsr]

I will teach this to my anthropology class.A long with data on the calendar and representative government too.