Three Sisters Garden
Three Sisters Garden
The three sisters decide to plant corn, squash and beans in their garden--all in the same mound like American Indians have done for centuries. This story is the modern version of that Indian tradition, coincidentally called “three sisters” gardening.
Filled with gardening tips, glossary, and the girls’ recipe for a tasty one-pot dinner, the book is perfect for grades K-3. It’s 32 pages, 8” x 10” in full color, and softbound--a great companion to Howie, Zack, Betsy, Mrs. Feeny, and the garden characters in my other books. Order HERE.
The Original Three Sisters Gardening Tradition
“Three Sisters” gardening, a practice in American Indian communities across the continent, is what we now call “companion” planting. Corn, beans, and squash, like sisters, are caring friends that both give and receive. Sister Corn provides support for Sister Bean’s climbing vines. Sister Bean absorbs and converts nitrogen from the air and makes this food available to the plants. Sister Squash’s large prickly leaves provide shade to help keep the weeds down and pests away.
Planting these three native crops together was a tradition begun
by the Iroquois, a confederacy of six nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onodaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. While the native peoples may not have known the exact science behind the combination, they could tell the three together made for healthy eating. Today’s gardeners and nutritionists alike know that corn yields carbohydrates, beans provide protein, and squash gives us vitamins. We have the American Indians to thank for developing this method and for passing it down for all generations.
Sara, Bari, and Cara don’t exactly agree all the time on who’s doing what, who’s showing off, or who’s fooling around!
Get to know Cara, Sara, and Bari!