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Re: Sunflowers/3 sisters? (long)

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

James.H.Chambers@am.pnu.com wrote:
> 
> Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
> 
>   Below is one description of the 3 sisters from the Garden Gate Tip
>   page (http://www.augusthome.com/27tip3.htm)  The web page contains
>   illustrations.
> 
>   ==============================
> 
>   Growing "The Three Sisters": Corn, Beans, and Squash
> 
>   "The Three Sisters" of Iroquois legend are a harmonious trio of corn,
>   pole beans and squash planted together to support and thrive off one
>   another. 

I lived in Yemen as a Peace Corps volunteer - lived in the heart of the
high mountain agricultural area.  Predominant crops were millet, sorghum
and corn - all related I believe.  The fields had beans growing up the
stalks and flowers - impatiens and something like buttercups - between
the rows.  When the crops were harvested, the grain heads/ears were tied
together in groups of perhaps six or eight stalks.  The heads/ears were
dried in place, then cut.  The leaves were stripped from the stalks,
tied in bundles, and stored for dry season fodder.  At some point in the
beans were harvested.  Then goats, sheep and cattle were allowed to roam
through eating what was left.  The stalks continued to dry for weeks and
then were cut - the top portion was harvested as fodder as well.  The
lower portion and roots were finally pulled up and saved as firewood. 
During the dry season the land was fertilized by manure collected from
goat and ox pens.  The oxen tilled the fields and were fed some of the
sweet stalks during their work day.  I never knew whether the flowers
were specifically planted or were naturally seeded.  There were flowers
everywhere in the mountains.

Since Yemen has been agricultural for centuries and has had remarkable
fertile terraces -irrigated and drained with elaborate stone lined
channels and dirt ditches into the terraces.  Some terraces are 10 to 15
feet high - the result of generations of work.  Some terraces were
reasonably sized for oxen, some were tiny niche gardens tilled by hand. 
The smaller gardens close near and in towns were vegetable gardens with
a remarkable combination of crops - fruit trees (apples, pears, figs,
etc.), new world plants - potatoes, corn, chilis, tomatoes (oh those
gorgeous tomatoes), plus just about everything else.  I remember lots of
okra.  Densely packed gardens with walkways.  Stone dividers a la sq
ft.  Always lots of flowers.  And bees and honey.  Since agriculture has
been so successful in Yemen for centuries I suspect that the combination
of crops and dense planting is critical to the results.  By the way,
mountainous Yemen has plenty of rain.  About 30 to 50 inches a year in
the town where I lived.  Garden crops harvested 2 or 3 times per year -
with direct irrigation from streams for the dry season growth.  Grains
harvested once a year.  Mountain ridges had fields of wheat and other
hard grains.  And coffee and qat (with caffeine like properties) grown
in the mid-altitudes.

Sorry this is getting "far afield" from square foot gardening, but I
couldn't resist.

It seems that old cultures have some great techniques for gardening. 
Mutually beneficial plantings and techniques to accommodate chemical
needs, shade & sun, water, fertilization, energy requirements, you name
it.

			Nancy in Virginia.


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