These plant sisters get along really well.
The plants in this bed are companion plants; they help each other grow. Corn takes nitrogen from the soil and provides a stalk for the beans to climb.
The beans replace the nitrogen in the ground, and receive shade from the squash leaves. The squash leaves also have prickles preventing many pests from reaching the corn and beans.
Take a look at the Three Sisters Garden and find a plant you would like to sketch. Using paper and pencil create the figure and form of the plant through fine lines. What forms do you recognize from other plants? Add depth and texture through the use of shading.
You can also learn more about the origins of the three sisters in the Ancient Americans exhibit!
You can check out the video to learn how to create your own three sisters garden at home!
Corn, Beans, and Squash. Edible Garden. Field Museum. Personal photo by Rachel Pierson. July 2013.
Vegetable Gardening: Three Sisters Companion Planting [Video File]. Retrieved from (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37q4YsrjpPk).
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