A Second Cucumber Surge and Experiments With the Three Sisters Method

This season, I’ve been experimenting with the Three Sisters method of gardening, and I’m thrilled to share my experiences with you. The Three Sisters method is an ancient technique developed by Native Americans to maximize production and health of plants. It involves planting corn, beans, and squash together, with the corn serving as a trellis for the beans, and the squash providing shade and acting as a living mulch.

Summer harvest

In my raised bed, I planted a variety of cucumber called ‘Sumter’, which has been producing an abundance of delicious fruits. I’ve been picking about a dozen cucumbers every day, and I’m impressed with their flavor and texture. The ‘Sumter’ variety is wonderful eaten fresh from the garden, and it’s also great for pickling.

I’ve been using my cucumbers to make a refreshing salad with thinly sliced onion, chopped hot chilies, ginger, Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, fresh basil, and a few drops of sesame oil. It’s a perfect dish for hot summer days.

Summer salad

In addition to cucumbers, I’ve also been growing sunflowers and field corn in my raised bed. The sunflowers are a variety called ‘Mammoth’, which is supposed to produce flowers the size of a human head on stalks 10-12 feet high. The field corn is an heirloom variety called ‘Texas Gourdseed’, which was once popular in south Texas for making masa used in tamales and corn tortillas.

I’m planning to use the corn stalks as a trellis for beans in the Three Sisters method. However, I’ve been having germination problems with the ‘Texas Gourdseed’ variety, and I’m not sure why. I’ve tried sidedressing the corn stalks with organic granular fertilizer, but I’m still waiting to see silk.

Three Sisters method

If you’re interested in trying the Three Sisters method, be sure to research how tall the beans will get, and then pick an appropriate corn variety. I learned the hard way that not all corn varieties are suitable for this method.

In my next experiment, I’ll be trying a different corn variety and a different type of bean. I’ll also be adding squash to the mix to complete the Three Sisters method.

Three Sisters method

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my gardening experiments. If you have any questions or comments about gardening, please share them with me.