Q. My daughter has been learning about Native American culture and seems particularly taken with the crops she called the Three Sisters. I think seed packets of them would be a fun addition to her Christmas stocking, but I don’t want to ask her too much about it or she might suspect something. Are there special varieties that I should search for?
A. What a nice idea! The Three Sisters are corn, beans and squash or pumpkin. The actual varieties might vary according to the location in which they are grown. This is an excellent example of sustainable agriculture as practiced by the Native American societies.
Typically, a mound of soil about 18 inches wide and 4-6 inches high is prepared. First you plant four to six corn seeds widely spaced on the mound. When the corn plants are about 6 inches high, you plant about four bean seeds in the mound, not too close to the corn. Finally, when the beans have sprouted, it’s time to plant a couple of the squash or pumpkin seeds.
The Three Sisters each provide a crop and help the others to grow. The corn provides something for the bean plants to climb. The beans, being a legume capable of fixing nitrogen in the soil, provide fertilizer, and the squash or pumpkin plants cover the ground and shade the soil to conserve moisture and discourage weeds from growing.
You certainly can purchase individual packets of seeds of your choice at the store. Also available are specially packaged sets of the three crops that are quite attractive. One that I used several years ago contained colorful Indian corn, Rattlesnake beans, and Sugar Pie pumpkins. All are easy to grow crops that are sure to succeed.
Q. I just finished preparing a garden bed that I will be planting with an assortment of spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. The ground is going to look pretty bare for a long time until the bulbs start to grow and bloom. Is there something that I can plant with them as a fill for before and after they bloom?
A. I would suggest that you consider planting Sweet Alyssum, Lobularia maritima, as non-competing filler. The fine texture of the alyssum will provide a nice contrast to the more substantial foliage of the bulbs. Alyssum stays short enough that it will not compete with the bulbs and is available in gentle shades of white, pink and lavender. As the name suggests, it has a sweet fragrance too.
Sweet Alyssum is not picky about growing conditions and will do well through our mild winter. You can find started plants at your local nursery or garden center, but if you have a lot of area to cover, it’s not too late to consider planting from seed.
Since your garden bed is already prepared, you could just sprinkle the seed over the soil and tamp it down lightly. Mist the soil surface lightly and keep it moist. The seed will germinate in about a week, if the surface soil is not too cold. As the seedlings grow, you can thin or transplant them until they stand about six inches apart. Within a few weeks, your garden bed will have lost its bare appearance.
