2024 June 3 Two Sisters and an Upcoming New Moon

June 6th will be the New Moon. The way I learned it in Nicaragua, the New Moon is the time for planting seeds. I believe the idea is that as the seeds slowly germinate, they will get that little reflective benefit of the brighter moon each day. I have been gardening sincerely since my time in the Peace Corps in 2008. During the year or two I lived on top in a double I even gardened off my balcony. This is plenty of time to have experimented and realized the Nicaraguans are right about planting with the moon.

It has been a while since I have focused on annual vegetables, though. In the last few years, native perennials and nonnative perennial edibles have been my focus. I’m ready to start growing and preserving food. This means I’m going to grow annual veggies again. 

This year, I am going to try a Three Sisters garden. Corn, Beans and Squashes are all Native American crops, and they are companions. I am only beginning to learn about indigenous agricultural practices, so this summary and my first try might be off a bit. 

First attempt at the Three Sisters garden. Only two sisters are planted here. Yes, I’m going to prune the Plum tree a bit tomorrow. 

Sister Corn is strong and tall. It provides structure to a garden. Sister Bean and Sister Squash may wrap their tendrils around Sister Corn’s stalk to use a bit of vertical space. Sister Beans fixes nitrogen in the soil, which both Sister Corn and Sister Squash love. They need extra fertile soil. Sister Squash’s big leaves help shade the lower parts of the Sister Bean. Together, this should not only grow foods that nourish the body, but it should also help the soil. 

These beans have touched many a Spanish student hand. I might plant more somewhere else, since I’m not planning to eat them. 

Here’s how I did my Three Sister inspired garden. I chose an area that used to be where the chicken coop stood. A soil test tells me that the Ph is great, but it does have a lot of phosphorus. I’m not sure how much that matters. My yard is no longer full sun, but I believe some of this area does get enough light, especially how the hot sun moves mid-summer. 

I lit a burnt offering of dried White Sweet Clover over the space and spread the ashes and burnt ends into the planting area. It’s a way for me to feel intentional, and biochar is good for soil health.

So far, I’ve only planted Black Beans and Sweet Corn. The Black Beans are left over from Spanish class. We used them as bingo markers. I originally wanted to plant Popcorn, my favorite food, but decided on Rainbow Sweet Corn, because a bit of research showed me that popcorn might be too advanced for me right now. I’m not sure about the curing process. 

The hens are testing the perimeter of my fencing. I took away their favorite dust bath spot. They have a whole yard, they’ll manage. 

I did not really plant in rows. Curves are more my style. I like a wilder garden and I’m not running machinery or anything though here. No need for straight lines. After planting the Corn in front and Beans to the north, I covered everything in temporary plastic fencing. We have lots of rodent friends and chicken friends that would love to dig up my seeds. The fencing was found in the trash down the street. Plastic is definitely not my favorite, but it’s what I have on hand. I gave everything a good soak. 

Once those begin to pop up (so I remember where I planted them) I’ll put in some Squashes around the edges and south of the corn. I want some shelf-stable winter squashes, and maybe something more immediate like acorn squash. I’m probably going to plant all kinds of squashes all over the yard just because I want to. We’ll see. 

Also, check out that Pokeweed to the left of the photos! It’s taller than me now! I need to find more land to plant on since that, too, will bring shade to my one little sun spot.