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#16
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Three sisters method.
On 7 Dec 2011 00:12:08 +0100, Gordon wrote:
General Schvantzkoph wrote in : On Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:42:31 +0100, Gordon wrote: A friend told me about the Three Sisters growing method. Apearently It comes from the Native Americans who would grow Corn, Beans and Squash together. The corn stalks would provide a trellis for the beans to grow on, and the squash would grow on the ground and provide cover to control the weeds. Sounds intresting. Anyone else heard of it? Anyone tried it? I tried it a couple of years ago It sounds like a good idea but it didn't do any better than conventional techniques. ??? Well, did the plans yeild the same compared to if they were planted separatly? Wouldn't the yeild of (say) 100sf of soil be higher compared to planting separatly? For instance: 100sf of corn, 100sf of squash, 100sf of peas == 300sf of garden. VS 100sf of everything growing together? I've done the 3 sisters method for experimenting fun. I did baby bear watermelons as I don't like squash and I included sunflowers. The watermelons, sunflowers and corn did well, the beans not so much. Kate |
#17
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Three sisters method.
Billy wrote:
Gordon wrote: .... ??? Well, did the plans yeild the same compared to if they were planted separatly? Wouldn't the yeild of (say) 100sf of soil be higher compared to planting separatly? For instance: 100sf of corn, 100sf of squash, 100sf of peas == 300sf of garden. VS 100sf of everything growing together? No. The Fatal Harvest Reader by Andrew Kimbrell (Editor) http://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Harvest-.../dp/155963944X /ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220837838&sr=1-1 (Available at a library near you, until they are closed, because of Wall Street's bailout.) .... plus what good is high productivity if the nutritional value is less than what it used to be? and this makes me wonder about the fact that many people eat too much and if some of that overeating is the body's own way of saying, "i need so much of this and i ain't getting it so i better eat more" ? songbird |
#18
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Three sisters method.
On Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:41:25 -0500, Derald wrote:
Gordon wrote: A friend told me about the Three Sisters growing method. Apearently It comes from the Native Americans who would grow Corn, Beans and Squash together. The corn stalks would provide a trellis for the beans to grow on, and the squash would grow on the ground and provide cover to control the weeds. Sounds intresting. Anyone else heard of it? Anyone tried it? Yeah, I heard it all for all of my life. Never believed it for a minute. You've omitted the most essential ingredient that fuels the whole engine: The dead fish. I've always regarded the story as apocryphal but it might work for the indigenous maize, squash and beans. I don't know what purpose within the trio the corn serves save as trellis and it seems to me the legumes would be putting nitrogen into the soil to late in the life cycle to be of any short-term benefit to their companions. The explanation that the Wampanoags at Plymouth Plantation gave was that the squash keeps the weeds down and the beans add nitrogen to the soil. Squash has very large leaves so I can see how they would act as a kind of mulch. The nitrogen fixing properties are a long term effect, it's not necessary for the peas and beans to provide nitrogen for this years crop, it's value is that they add it to the soil for future crops. Crop rotation has the same effect, you plant a nitrogen using crop like grains one year, and nitrogen producing crops like legumes the next year. Three sisters just does it all at once. |
#19
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Three sisters method.
Derald wrote:
... and it seems to me the legumes would be putting nitrogen into the soil to late in the life cycle to be of any short-term benefit to their companions. The cycle goes on for many years so the nitrogen from the legume applies to next year's planting. Whether it's enough when planting all three together is an interesting question. It's certainly a better sitution than planting corn and/or squash year after year in the same location. |
#20
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Three sisters method.
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#21
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Three sisters method.
Derald wrote in
: Yeah, I heard it all for all of my life. Never believed it for a minute. You've omitted the most essential ingredient that fuels the whole engine: The dead fish. Dead fish are easy to come by. |
#22
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Three sisters method.
In article ,
Derald wrote: Gordon wrote: Dead fish are easy to come by. True enough. I buy mine already rotted and processed into a liquid slurry called "fish emulsion". Of course, since it is an ocean product, there's no end to the amount of toxic agricultural runoff, feces, mercury and other heavy metals I'm adding to the soil in the Great Circle of Life, LOL! We all make our contributions.... Which is why people should buy "organic" fish emulsion, and not make the dumb mistake of others. -- - Billy E pluribus unum http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-great-american-bubble-machine-20100405 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96993722 |
#23
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Three sisters method.
On Dec 4, 9:42*pm, Gordon wrote:
A friend told me about the Three Sisters growing method. Apearently It comes from the Native Americans who would grow Corn, Beans and Squash together. *The corn stalks would provide a trellis for the beans to grow on, and the squash would grow on the ground and provide cover to control the weeds. Sounds intresting. Anyone else heard of it? *Anyone tried it? Newsgroups are a great way to discuss topics. In this case, the topic is the Three Sisters growing method in gardening. |
#24
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Three sisters method.
On Dec 4, 9:42*pm, Gordon wrote:
A friend told me about the Three Sisters growing method. Apearently It comes from the Native Americans who would grow Corn, Beans and Squash together. *The corn stalks would provide a trellis for the beans to grow on, and the squash would grow on the ground and provide cover to control the weeds. Sounds intresting. Anyone else heard of it? *Anyone tried it? I have never heard of it. |
#25
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Three sisters method.
On Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:07:59 -0800 (PST), Ryan Castle
wrote: On Dec 4, 9:42*pm, Gordon wrote: A friend told me about the Three Sisters growing method. Apearently It comes from the Native Americans who would grow Corn, Beans and Squash together. *The corn stalks would provide a trellis for the beans to grow on, and the squash would grow on the ground and provide cover to control the weeds. Sounds intresting. Anyone else heard of it? *Anyone tried it? I have never heard of it. Why not do some research and then report back to us? |
#26
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Three sisters method.
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#27
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Quote:
you know Gordon, i head this earlier and I was just wondering if anyone has tried the three sisters native american farming method? i saw it on a BBC program "my dream farm" and looked it up on google, it seems extremely clever and perfect for those who dont have much space. Essentially you build a mound of earth around 12 inches high and 20 inches across, you plant maize in the middle of the mound then 1-2 weeks later you plant squash and beans around the edge alternating between the two. It works well in that each element or sister supports the life of the other. The maize provides a platform for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles, the beans fix nitrogen into the soil improving the yield and health of the maize and squash, the squash covers the gound and stop weeds appearing and helps deter pests with its hairy stem and leaves (this all taken from wikipedia). It reminds me of the type of farming used in West Africa, very similar, it's so clever because it is self-sustaining and self-supporting, does not need much space and would look pretty too, little pyramids of greenery, flowers and veg. So has anyone tried this method? |
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