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Three sisters are severely underrated (thelemmy.club)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/historymemes@piefed.social
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[–] 10 points 4 months ago (7 children)

For anyone wanting to try this in their backyard, don’t. Yes, it absolutely works and will produce more yield per square foot and per gallon of water, particularly in dry climates. However, it is a lot more manual labor throughout the growing season and at harvest. It’s worth it for subsistence agriculture, but not at all for hobby gardens.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago (6 children)

    Can you explain how it so drastically increases manual labor?

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  • [–] 12 points 4 months ago

    Sure! First, you need to time the planting right so that the corn is the right height for the beans to grow on at the right time. Then you have to manage the beans so that they trellise properly without choking the corn or squash. The stalks grow quickly, so you need to check them and adjust every day. Same with the squash.

    Eventually by the time it’s all growing well you have a large thick layer of vegitation that is all tangled together. You need to get through it to water, weed, pest control, and harvest, all while keeping sure not to accidentally step or trip on anything.

    It’s not impossible, but compared to seperate trellises for beans, rows of corn, and a squash mound it’s just a lot more work every day to keep up with.

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  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago (4 children)

    I would imagine it's because you'd need to be careful not to harm one plant when helping or harvesting the other.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago (3 children)

    That doesn't sound like a lot more labor.

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  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    Yes so I might be missing something. I tried it once, but all I learned was you can't really manage 3 sisters in one pot on your balcony. Those roots need to go deep. I got 3 bean pods, a half-cob of corn and a couple male squash blossoms before they all caught mildew and died.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    Corn is wind-pollinated. You can't just grow one stalk, you need dozens at minimum so they can pollinate each other.

    Squash plants need tons of space on the ground. The stems/vines will actually send out roots wherever they touch moist soil.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 months ago

    I paintbrush-pollinated my one corn, it obviously didn't do that well but it tried, made a small multicolored ear. The "Trail of Tears" bean plant made pretty little pink flowers but I had to add a tomato cage because my corn was too spindly to support it. I let one pod ripen fully and steamed the other two, they were good. Yeah the squash never really had a chance.

    But it's all good fun, and I do have success with cherry tomatoes, lemons, and blueberries.

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