Three Sisters Hugelkultur

I made a video showing some of our hugelkultur beds that are planted with the three sisters. The plants seem to be getting along relatively well. It looks like we might have some big pumpkins and squash and hopefully a decent corn harvest. I’ll post an update in the fall when we harvest. Hope you enjoy!



Let me know if you have any questions or criticisms or anything. Or if you want to see something in particular.

Hi Jay,

That looks awesome! A very abundant and lush garden you have, I bet the harvest is just as good!

Have you ever used runner beans in your polyculture? The starchy roots are edible and it can be a welcome addition to the garden for those desiring a root vegetable in the traditional 3 sisters polyculture.

Eric S.

Eric Silveira wrote:Hi Jay,

That looks awesome! A very abundant and lush garden you have, I bet the harvest is just as good!

Have you ever used runner beans in your polyculture? The starchy roots are edible and it can be a welcome addition to the garden for those desiring a root vegetable in the traditional 3 sisters polyculture.

Eric S.

I don’t think we have, but I’d be interested in trying those. These beans on particular don’t seem to be the best variety for this system, I’m not sure why but they’re probably the weakest of the bunch. Seems like they’re not competing well with the squash, but we’ll give it more time. Maybe because their role is more of a nitrogen fixer and the soil is likely already very rich in nitrogen?

We’re also growing groundnut, Apios americana, a perennial legume that also makes a starchy edible root. It’s not in this hugel but I’m trying it in different contexts to see what works best.

I am a big fan of Groundnut, so that is another excellent choice. Do your plants produce any seeds?

I have heard that some cultivars of the common bean are not as successful when growing in the 3 sisters' polyculture, specifically in regard to partial shade adaptation. Native American cultivars are often far more adapted to this specific planting.

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is actually a rather weak nitrogen fixer, when it is grown commercially for green beans or dry beans it is fertilized with nitrogen to meet its needs. Since it cannot meet its own nitrogen needs, it is unlikely it will be able to help your other plants unless you are able to incorporate the green biomass into the soil before it flowers and sets seed, as a green manure. It's still worth planting but I wouldn't count on it for nitrogen. Groundnut is ranked as Medium by the USDA Plants Database so it can fix enough for its own needs.

Hope this helps,
Eric S.