The Madera County UC Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Garden (behind Madera Community College) is named the Three Sisters Garden. The name was chosen by Jill Cholewa, a Master Gardener and member of the State Center Community College Foundation.
So, who are these three sisters? Well, they’re not actually people but a time-honored Native American planting method that grows corn, beans and squash together in one thriving, sustainable garden. For centuries, indigenous communities, such as the Iroquois, cultivated this trio because each plant supports the others: corn provides a natural trellis for climbing beans, beans enrich the soil with nitrogen and then squash acts as a living mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture. This is sustainable companion planting at its best - take no more from nature than what is given back. That’s exactly what our modern demonstration garden strives to do, along with pest management and community engagement. At my home, I’m planting my own three sisters garden and you can too by:
- Planting your favorite corn variety. I’m planting sweet corn to harvest in 75 days.
- Planting beans when the corn is 5 inches high. I’m planting pole green beans (not bush beans) to harvest in 65 days.
- Planting squash one week later. I’m planting zucchini squash to harvest in 63 days and small sugar pumpkins to harvest in 100 days.
It’s important to stagger your plantings so that the corn stalks will be strong enough to support the beans and the corn, and beans are well started before the squash germinates.
Happy gardening!
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Written by UC Master Gardener Nancy Weeks