Elizabeth Beadles wrote:I'm curious if anyone has experience using a grain plant like amaranth or quinoa as part of the "three sisters"
Hey great query elizabeth. I have grown quinoa but in three sisters style with squash and beans but I will try, 2014. In my experience, quinoa grown in wetter regions of the field (Salmon Arm, BC climate, hardiness zone 6a) will reach up to 6ft tall which could be great for climbing plants. In this case however the roots on quinoa don't tend to be as developed and the plants fall over with a big gust of wind. But perhaps the beans would hold the stock in place? The plants that grow in sandy and dryer areas only reach 3ft-4ft or so in height which could be fine for climbing plants.
We plant quinoa, well right about now (april) and, harvest in sept-oct. You are suppose to harvest quinoa seed heads when the leaves have turned colours and hopefully dried up and started to fall off and to do so before the seeds fall off the stalk. We haven't been fortunate enough to allow the plants to fully mature before the fall rains so we cut the seed heads down when the leaves are still on. Then we stack them bundles or hang them from nails in the shed.
Anyways in our case I think quinoa as a three sisters could work because even if partner crops like the bean climbed all over the stems the main seed head is in the center of the plant and thus could be cut off at harvest time and the stock could be left for the other crops. Anyways its worth a try!
