The Three Sisters Presented by Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom

The Three Sisters Corn, beans and squash – 3 primary crops of various North American Native American tribes Nicknamed “sisters” for the ways in which they complement each other

The Three Sisters – Working Together Companion Planting Corn provides a pole for the beans to climb Beans replenish nitrogen in the soil Squash’s large leaves provide ground cover to minimize weeds and maintain soil moisture Nutrition Corn provides carbohydrates Beans provide protein Squash provides vitamins

Germination Activity: Growing the Three Sisters Use 3 jewelry sized bags to germinate each of the Three Sisters (one per bag). Cut along the dotted lines to create windows to tape and display your seeds behind. Label each seed in the rectangle above Extensions: Have students label plant parts. Match pollination methods (wind, self or insect) to the correct plant.

Designing a Three Sisters Garden Optimally you will want to have a 10’ x 10’ area, with 3 rows, spaced 5’ apart in order for the corn to gain maximum pollination ability. Corn is pollinated by wind, rather than by insects like the squash (the beans are self-pollinating) The corn is planted first; once the stalks reach about 4 inches tall the squash and beans are planted In this design the beans are planted with the corn and the squash are planted in their own mound

Activity: Measuring a Three Sisters Garden Divide students into groups/pairs and give each group a green or yellow paper plate Using a ruler, have them find and mark the center of the plate Place one piece of 10’ string on the ground, measure 5’ from the string and place another. Repeat for 3 rows. If you have space constraints you can demonstrate this lesson with only one row. Beginning at the tip of the string measure and mark 2’ increments on the string with a piece of tape.

Activity: Measuring a Three Sisters Garden Alternate placing yellow and green plates on the tape The beginning of each row should be different from the row above it. The green plates will be the corn and bean mounds. The yellow plates will be the squash mounds. Pass out “seed” poms. Yellow poms = corn Red poms = squash Orange poms = beans

Activity: Measuring a Three Sisters Garden Plant the yellow corn poms on the green plates first. Each seed is spaced 6” apart and they are placed similar to a compass rose.

Activity: Measuring a Three Sisters Garden Next plant the red squash poms on the yellow plates. They should be 4” apart in an equilateral triangle.

Activity: Measuring a Three Sisters Garden Lastly, plant the orange bean seeds on the green plates. They should be 6” apart like a square.

Activity: Measuring a Three Sisters Garden Extensions: Practice adding the number of seeds in a row, using addition facts, repeated addition, or multiplication.

For more lessons and resources for your classroom, visit Virginia AITC online.