Growing your own food can involve a wealth of benefits, from saving money at the grocery store to knowing exactly what's in the food you're eating. Sometimes, however, food can be challenging to grow, particularly if you're growing several different kinds of vegetables in the same area.
Luckily, TikToker Joshua Meekins (@the_garden_is_growing) has shared an ancient Native American gardening method known as the Three Sisters, which simplifies the food-growing process and makes it incredibly efficient.
@the_garden_is_growing Three Sisters Companion Planting: Part 6 Last year my family tried the Three Sisters companion planting technique for the first time! Passed down by the Native Americans, this technique is a great way to grow three crops together. Would you want to give it a try? #homestead #homesteading #organicgardening #corn #vegetablegarden #gardening #beans #seeds #backyardgarden #homegrown to #growyourownfood #threesisters #squash #seedling #gardentipsandtricks #companionplanting ♬ original sound - Joshua Meekins TGIG
The scoop
The Three Sisters method Meekins demonstrates in his TikTok video incorporates interplanting, a technique where you plant corn, squash, and beans together.
As Meekins states in his video, "The corn provides structure for the beans to climb, the beans provide nitrogen for the soil, and the squash acts as a living mulch."
According to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Iroquois used this process to grow their crops. They planted the corn first, then the beans a few weeks later. Finally, they added squash so the leaves would help shade the ground and keep it moist.Â
How it's helping
Growing beans, corn, and squash utilizing the Three Sisters method helps these vegetables grow more efficiently, saving gardeners time and money.
Because beans absorb nitrogen from their surroundings and turn it into nitrate, they act as a natural fertilizer for the other two vegetables growing alongside them. This ensures vegetables are growing to optimal levels and that no money needs to be wasted on commercial fertilizer.
Because the beans end up winding around the corn stalks, there's no need to plant poles for them to climb, which saves time.
Finally, the leaves of the squash help prevent weeds from growing among the beans and corn, saving even more time as gardeners won't have to pull up weeds constantly.
Altogether, it's an innovative gardening technique that makes growing your own food simpler and less time-consuming. Considering how much money you can save growing your own food and the reduction in your carbon output from doing so, it's a fantastic hack to utilize.
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Every day 🥗 What everyone's saying
People were impressed with the Three Sisters method shared by Meekins, though a few had tried the method with varying results.
One TikTok user stated, "That is so cool."
Another exclaimed, "Love that you are doing this! I'm growing this way as well."
One commenter shared, "I tried this, but I think I planted too many beans. My corn was strangled and broke," to which Meekins replied, "Some beans are really prolific, which is great normally, but can weigh down the corn quickly. I tried 3 types of beans, and two did great."
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