[Composto]

Has anyone tried the "Three Sisters" method for their sweetcorn, runner beans and squashes?  I've only recently read about this old North American way of growing these whereby the sweetcorn provides support for the beans, the beans help to stabilise the sweetcorn and the squashes become a living mulch for them both, suppresssing weeds and minimising moisture losses.

If you have, was it worthwhile, is it something that you would do again or now do all the time; or was it of "mixed success"?  What are the things to look out for as the season goes on; did you find it needed any special attention?

[bigben]

I have not actually tried it myself but in reading about it the two problems that seemed to come up was the beans outgrowing the sweetcorn -( my french beans grow to over 6 foot but my sweetcorn does not). The other problem was the squash which are heavy feeders robbing nutrients from the others.

Others have tried combinations of just two of them and I am sure will give more informed info than me.

[Lardman]

There are 3 pages of search results for "three sisters" Im going to guess that lots of people have tried it 

[mumofstig]

If you put three sisters in the search you get a lot of previous threads about the method.

Here's just 1 of them
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=58907.msg689687#msg689687

snap Lardman 

[DD.]

Was just going to say the same.

You have to bear in mind major climate differences. The South Americans used to grow the beans for seed, we have a different approach. My sweetcorn chokes out weeds, so no way would a squash grow in them, you could plant it outside and let it grow into them.

[Composto]

Thanks all, will pick up the previous threads. (doh!)

[Aunt Sally]

All three will compete with each other for nutrients, water and light.

The Mayan's had high soil fertility and a tropical climate and grew their beans and corn to maturity to store as a dried food source.  This also meant they didn't need to tread through squash to pick the beans and corn.