Xref: kermit uk.rec.gardening:181520

On 30 Dec 2003 15:20:30 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
Frogleg wrote:

Ahhh. I think I see the light. Corn, beans (dried), and squash are
staples of Native American growing and eating. Corn & beans together
make a complete protein, and squash can't hurt. :-) Beans are
nitrogen-fixing plants, and corn likes nitrogen to nourish all those
leaves. Squash may do well in soil last used for beans, but unlikely
to do well in the shade of corn plants.

No, it's not that. Firstly, it is French beans, not runner - the latter
need much more water than squash or maize to do well and would strangle
maize. Secondly, it IS the shade that is the benefit.

I believe the OP mentioned runner beans. We USAsians distinguish
mostly between pole (runner, climbing) and bush beans. And the pole
types *don't* strangle corn/maize. Of course, maize probably grows a
lot faster in many US locations than in the UK.

In countries with an abundance of sunshine and a lack of water (e.g.
much of the south western USA, but NOT the UK), the squash gains from
a bit of shade and the maize gains from having its roots shaded. The
beans are probably just a bonus.

While I grew up in the southwest, I was not a gardener at the time. I
do not recall any efforts to achieve plant shading. This may be true
of extremely hot desert regions (the Phoenix area comes to mind), but
for the most part, squashes, like most veg, thrive with abundant
sunshine even in very warm climates. Farm-scale maize production
usually involves plants quite close together in rows, and if their
roots require shade, a full cornfield apparently supplies enough. A
drought is of far more concern.

I'd never heard of "three sisters" planting before. Briefly examining
web sites, I find them a little touchy-feely New Age. In fact, the 3
basic plants of my own SW might be corn, beans, and chiles.