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by sebcat 1159 days ago
My experience is that it's hard to get right, messes with crop rotation and lower yield.

I've had beans overtaking the maize and I've had squash overtaking the beans.

YMMV.

2 comments

I saw this video earlier this week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUvnGPAe2Q8

I haven't tried it in my garden but it does seem to have downsides as a system. I'm not all that excited to try it.

Does the three sister method really need crop rotation?

Were you trying it with no-till methods?

What about integrated pest control?

You need crop rotation for beans at least. To lower the risk of parasites and deceased.
Three Sisters pattern has been generalized as a “guild”, with beans fulfilling the function of a nitrogen fixer growing in the vine canopy layer (using the sturdy corn stalks).

Knowing that, wouldn’t you substitute beans with a different nitrogen-fixer at an open canopy slot?

Or even, different varieties of beans?