In indigenous agricultural practices, the vegetables corn, beans, and squash are known as the Three Sisters. Growing this trio of crops together is environmentally conscious and can sustain many people nutritionally. 

The seeds of each plant are traditionally planted together in the same mound of soil. According to the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, a database of sustainable agriculture information, “grown together, these plants are able to thrive and provide high-yield, high-quality crops with a minimal environmental impact.” It is difficult for farming to provide food for the world while also being sustainable.

Corn is the eldest of the Three Sisters because, commonly, it is planted first and grows the tallest. A climbing variety of pole beans are planted after corn so they can use the corn stalks as a trellis to wrap around. 

These legumes, which are the second sister, are self-pollinating so the grower can expect yield even with only one plant. Additionally, beans boost the nitrogen content in the soil, an element that drives plant growth and is often found in fertilizing agents. Unlike fertilizers, the roots of beans naturally attract nitrogen-fixing bacteria, rhizobia, which converts nitrogen from the air into the soil so it is usable for plants. According to TedEd, “one third of the world’s soil is moderately to highly degraded”. Often agricultural practices such as spraying fertilizer contribute to soil degradation; however, this simple native practice increases soil health.

Squash is the youngest sister and is planted last because it grows low to the ground and provides shade which would be unfavorable for beans and corn in the early stages of growth. However, these aspects of the plant are beneficial because the shade increases the water capacity of the soil. Watermelon and gourds are similar crops that could be substituted for squash. 

Nutritionally, corn is a good source of starch, beans are rich in protein, and squash contains vitamins and minerals like carotene that are not found in the other two foods.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a novel that details many indigenous traditions, knowledge, and the relationship between people and the Earth. Kimmerer has a unique perspective as a professor, botanist, mother, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. In the book, there is a chapter where she explains the Three Sisters gardening style. 

The relationship between the three plants and the grower is essential, according to Kimmerer. She even proposes the person who plants the seeds and tends to the crops is the Fourth Sister. 

Reciprocity is defined by Britannica as “a situation or relationship in which two people or groups agree to do something similar for each other, to allow each other to have the same rights.” This concept is sprinkled throughout Braiding Sweetgrass. She believes that since humans take so much from the land, giving back is essential to continue our coexistence. 

In our present economy, it is difficult to reciprocate what the land does for us because people are so disconnected from the source of everything they consume. Kimmerer saw this firsthand when teaching General Botany. She noticed her students’ lack of enthusiasm and engagement and decided to begin her course with growing a garden. This allowed students to feel like they were connected to the subject because they could get their hands dirty and gain a deeper understanding of the topic from hands-on experience. 

Kimmerer explains that this trio of crops is something that has significant meaning in native culture because of the connectivity of it all. She states, “there are layers upon layers of reciprocity in this garden: between the bean and the bacterium, the bean and the corn, the corn and the squash, and ultimately, with the people.”

This food system based on native knowledge is simple, yet innovative. These crops are grown by indigenous people with ecology and reciprocity in mind, not greed. Over time, Native Americans have domesticated plants like the Three Sisters to obtain varieties that adapt well to their environment. “Modern agriculture, with its big engines and fossil fuels, took the opposite approach: modify the land to fit the plants, which are frighteningly similar clones,” Kimmer writes.

When different plants grow together it is called a polyculture. Monocultures, on the other hand, lack this diversity and often are more subject to pests like bugs and weeds. An example of a monoculture would be growing fields of just corn.

Kimmerer states, “The genius of the Three Sisters lies not only in the process by which they grow, but also in the complementarity of the three species on the kitchen table.” 

In her class, they grew the Three Sisters and then enjoyed a harvest potluck with an abundant variety of dishes highlighting corn, beans, and squash. The yield of the sisters is described in Braiding Sweetgrass as “a nutritional triad that can sustain a people.”

Corn, beans, and squash may seem like mere vegetables to some, but in Native American culture these three crops are sisters. Seeds of each are planted together as a polyculture, making this an environmentally conscious and abundant alternative to industrial modern agricultural practices.