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**Grendelmort**

The early American settlers learned this from the Native Americans and it works because I use it. It involves planting corn, squash and climbing beans together. The corn grows, the beans climb the corn and anchor it preventing it from getting blown over and provide nitrogen to the soil though nodules and the squash shades the soil from the sun and by nature of being prickley, deters rabbits and and raccoons an such from eating the crop.

More detail here on this method of gardening here:

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/teach...14436.html

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 67884 04-15-2012 02:26 AM

Hi. Thank you for this. There was a year when I had sweet corn that was already 4' high (I live near the Gulf Coast -- early planting season), when a strong April wind blew them over. I actually got down on my knees and replanted every stalk. Practically had to use a plumb bob to make sure they were standing as straight as they could.

There have been other times when an over-rambunctious garden has produced vines that climbed all over everything: up the tomato plants, over the fence and into the yard.

I wonder if I could use cucumber plants instead of squash for the ground cover?

Anyway. Thanks again. I think this "three sisters" is a good idea and worth giving a try.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 87604 04-15-2012 02:49 AM

I love the statement "it works because I use it."

I tried this last year and it worked beautifully but I'll let you own the credit. ;)

**74894** lop guest User ID: 74894 04-15-2012 03:00 AM

my sister sent me some info re this earlier this week! How serendipitous!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Siste...culture%29

re cucumber - although from the curcurbit family [as is squash] doubtful as it's a climber and will try to take over the corn.

**Grendelmort**

LoP Guest Wrote:

Hi. Thank you for this. There was a year when I had sweet corn that was already 4' high (I live near the Gulf Coast -- early planting season), when a strong April wind blew them over. I actually got down on my knees and replanted every stalk. Practically had to use a plumb bob to make sure they were standing as straight as they could.

There have been other times when an over-rambunctious garden has produced vines that climbed all over everything: up the tomato plants, over the fence and into the yard.

I wonder if I could use cucumber plants instead of squash for the ground cover?

Anyway. Thanks again. I think this "three sisters" is a good idea and worth giving a try.

Cucumbers should work fine ! I normally grow summer squash, acorn squash, butternut squash and zucchini. Eggplant, cantalopes and pumpkins works good too.
I grow cucumbers too, but I'll make a wire cage about 2 feet in diameter and 4 feet long. I lay it on it's side and stake it down so it won't roll and plant the cucumbers about 6 inches apart on the ground side of the wire.
The vines grow up and over the cage and the cucumbers hang down in the center for easy harvesting - plus they are protected by the foliage from the sun so they dont't "bleach" out.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 90414 04-15-2012 03:02 AM

I like the Sam Walmart system better.

Drive 4 minutes down the road, pay $12 to the cashierest and get tomatos, potatoes and brocolli.

**Omega** · **Omega**Ex-Moderator User ID: 46459 04-15-2012 03:04 AM **Posts: 21,040**

Great info, gotta say I've given up on growing corn here in Central Texas-either the stalks get bowled over by high winds or ants get em or drought gets em.....

I've heard this method works tho...

I should have my annual Garden up thread with picts up tomorrow here tho....

Cheer

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 90408 04-15-2012 03:11 AM

My Grandma used to do that. She died back in the early 60's and I had forgotten even seeing it until now. She also used to go out in the croatan forest for days collecting herbs and knew how to make all sorts of stuff like that. We used to be Tuscarora but that was a long time ago, back before the assholes of the bunch ran off up north.

**Grendelmort**

LoP Guest Wrote:

I like the Sam Walmart system better.

Drive 4 minutes down the road, pay $12 to the cashierest and get tomatos, potatoes and brocolli.

You mean those tomato's that are picked green and exposed to Ethylene and Ammonia gas to make them ripen, or the potato's sprayed with Permetherin to kill the potato borer or the broccoli that is sprayed with Paraffin Wax with a green dye in it before it's shipped to the store.

Yummy !

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 67884 04-15-2012 03:13 AM

Thanks for the tips about cucumbers. It's true that they DO climb all over everything. So do the watermelons and honeydews. I never thought to make a cage for them, but this idea is ingenious. I have plenty of left-over, stiff nylon fencing that ought to do the trick.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 90414 04-15-2012 03:15 AM

Grendelmort Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
I like the Sam Walmart system better.

Drive 4 minutes down the road, pay $12 to the cashierest and get tomatos, potatoes and brocolli.

You mean those tomato's that are picked green and exposed to Ethylene and Ammonia gas to make them ripen, or the potato's sprayed with Permetherin to kill the potato borer or the broccoli that is sprayed with Paraffin Wax with a green dye in it before it's shipped to the store.

Yummy !

Thats them !

They all taste the same once they are boiled and buttered up.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 90414 04-15-2012 03:17 AM

LoP Guest Wrote:

Thanks for the tips about cucumbers. It's true that they DO climb all over everything. So do the watermelons and honeydews. I never thought to make a cage for them, but this idea is ingenious. I have plenty of left-over, stiff nylon fencing that ought to do the trick.

Agreed, how would have ever thought to make a cage or trellis for climbing vegetable plants.

**Grendelmort**

Omega Wrote:

Great info, gotta say I've given up on growing corn here in Central Texas-either the stalks get bowled over by high winds or ants get em or drought gets em.....

I've heard this method works tho...

I should have my annual Garden up thread with picts up tomorrow here tho....

Hey man, check out my thread on an organic home made bug spray - might just keep the ants at bay !

http://lunaticoutpost.com/Topic-A-good-o...our-garden

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 67884 04-15-2012 03:19 AM

Grendelmort Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
I like the Sam Walmart system better.

Drive 4 minutes down the road, pay $12 to the cashierest and get tomatos, potatoes and brocolli.

You mean those tomato's that are picked green and exposed to Ethylene and Ammonia gas to make them ripen, or the potato's sprayed with Permetherin to kill the potato borer or the broccoli that is sprayed with Paraffin Wax with a green dye in it before it's shipped to the store.

Yummy !

Besides the poisons used to raise them, Walmart vegetables simply suck. Whoever heard of a potato that will boil to mush in three minutes? That ain't right! Did anybody try a watermelon from Walmart last year? Those were the most gross, most alien-looking things I have ever seen. When they were cut open, there were four multi-colored sworls around clusters of seeds. They tasted horrible!

**Omega** · **Omega**Ex-Moderator User ID: 46459 04-15-2012 03:20 AM **Posts: 21,040**

Grendelmort Wrote:

Omega Wrote:
Great info, gotta say I've given up on growing corn here in Central Texas-either the stalks get bowled over by high winds or ants get em or drought gets em.....

I've heard this method works tho...

I should have my annual Garden up thread with picts up tomorrow here tho....

Hey man, check out my thread on an organic home made bug spray - might just keep the ants at bay !

http://lunaticoutpost.com/Topic-A-good-o...our-garden

Hell yeah that looks like it'll work-thanks!!!

YUP, tobacco kills bugs outright sounds like a right good recipe-thanks!!~!~