This past Monday, May 24th, was not only Victoria Day but also the traditional day to start the summer garden. This year, I am planting a Three Sisters Garden.
So, who are the Three Sisters? The crops of corn, beans, and squash are known as the Three Sisters. For centuries these three crops have been the center of Native American agriculture and culinary traditions. It is for good reason as these three crops complement each other in the garden as well as nutritionally.
Corn provides tall stalks for the beans to climb so that they are not out-competed by sprawling squash vines. Beans provide nitrogen to fertilize the soil while also stabilizing the tall corn during heavy winds. Beans are nitrogen-fixers meaning they host rhizobia on their roots that can take nitrogen, a much-needed plant nutrient, from the air and convert it into forms that can be absorbed by plant roots. The large leaves of squash plants shade the ground which helps retain soil moisture and prevent weeds.
These three crops are also at the center of culinary traditions and complement one another as well. A diet of corn, beans, and squash is complete and balanced. Corn provides carbohydrates and the dried beans are rich in protein and have amino acids absent from corn. Squash provides different vitamins and minerals than corn and beans. These three crops are also important because they can all be dried and used for food year-round. These traits are less important today, but were important in the past which led to their significance as the major cultivated foods.
The tradition of calling these crops the "Three Sisters" originated with the Haudenosaunee, pronounced Ho-deh-no-shaw-nee. Also known as the Iroquois, Haudenosaunee occupy the regions around the Great Lakes in the Northeastern United States and Canada. All three types of seeds are planted together in the same mound in the Haudenasaunee planting method. The elevated mound assists with drainage and avoids water logging of the plant roots which is important in this region that receives abundant rainfall in the summer.
So, why would I do this? Well, the convoluted answer would be: I know full well that any yield of corn, beans of squash will be quickly picked over by the ever-present families of squirrels, (grey, black red), the chipmunks and of course the shy rabbit family, who competes nightly against the fat and lazy racoons of the area, not to mention my generational and extended crow families who I am sure love fresh corn.
The simple answer is, as mentioned, for me planting is a spiritual experience and in the Three Sisters, I see The Trinity, The One in Three, The Father, Son and Spirit. The basis of our united Christian belief: God eternally exists as Father, Son and Spirit.
This is Holy mystery, and no one fully understands this but when we say these things, we mean that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but they are not three gods but only one God. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, but each is God individually and yet they are together the one true God of the Bible.
So, I plant The Three Sisters, seeing therein the Three in one. There is no division, no hierarchy, but a sharing of power for each seed supports and needs the others to thrive and grow into their true potential.
And so, it is with us. We too must depend upon Father, Son and Spirit in our lives to live out the life-giving persons we were created to be. Growing in love, and nourishing our brothers and sisters as we journey through our own life circle.
Happy gardening, whatever you choose to plant.
I will keep you posted on the progress of my Trinity.
In Peace
Pastor Beryl, DLM