Sweet corn, runner beans and butternut squash are ideal planting companions and together form a most famous mixed crop growing system. Structurally, sweet corn plants provide runner beans with supportive poles for ‘climbing’, which in turn release nitrogen into the soil, fertilizing the nutrient demanding sweet corn plants. The large leaves of the butternut squash shed a lot of shade, helping to keep moisture and CO2 in the ground, which is a combination that again acts as natural fertilizer.
This principle of growing especially selected species together to benefit each other in a mixed cultivation is very old, possibly deriving from the knowledge of the Mayas. This particular traditional combination has been nicknamed ‘the three sisters’. In its original form, the plants are positioned on a flat-topped mound, which is also referred to as ‘milpa’.
This seed kit includes the 3 famous vegetable varieties, which complement each other perfectly and are ideal for companion planting:
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'Golden Bantam' maize/ sweet corn (Zea mays)
‘Golden bantam’ is an old, yellow, heirloom sweet corn variety with an exquisite flavour.
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Butternut squash 'Ponca' (Cucurbita moschata)
Open-pollinated heirloom butternut squash variety with firm orange flesh and the typically mild nutty flavor.
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Pole bean/ runner bean 'A Cosse Violett' (Phaseolus vulgaris)
An early Italian pole bean variety with dark purple long pods and light brown beans.
The seeds of each variety are packaged in a separate sachet.
The seed sachets and detailed growing instructions in German and English are packed in a beautiful gift box - a great, sustainable gift for the garden. Any plant lover will be pleased.
