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livingontheland - [Livingontheland] three sisters planting and potatoes

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Dianne Palmer-Quay <R_DQuay@compuserve.com>
  • To: "INTERNET:livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org" <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] three sisters planting and potatoes
  • Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:41:37 -0400

My understanding is that the traditional three sisters was a winter squash,
a dry bean and a field corn. That way the plants could grow together and
you wouldn't have to worry about harvesting until the end of the season. I
have seen a suggestion to use bush beans on the outside of the corn and
bush summer squash down the center when planting with sweet corn. That way
there is no vining plants to get in the way of the sweet corn harvest. I
am trying a heritage snap bean, Genuine Cornfield, from Southern Exposure
Seed Exchange this year. The bean is advertised as being able to tolerate
the shade inside the corn patch, but I am not planning to add squash. I
will plant the corn on 15" centers and add the beans in-between.

I am also trying to plant potatoes and corn together in hopes of providing
some shade for the taters (supposedly another traditional companion
planting here in the South). The potatoes are already in the ground and
the corn will go in after April 1st (5 weeks apart). I planted some
leftover, sprouting potatoes last November and they are about 2 inches tall
now. I am planting a late spring selection of disease resistant varieties
as well. It is very difficult to store white potatoes in SC. Instead, I
am trying to grow them over a longer season. I'll let you know if anything
works!

Dianne
Central SC Zone 7/8





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