The benefits of gardening are bountiful — from seeing where your food comes from to contributing to your local ecosystem.
One TikToker shared a hack that can make three vital crops grow even stronger.
The scoop
In the video, posted by Village Homestead (@villagehomestead), the creator shows their Three Sisters garden — a method developed by Indigenous peoples in North America to improve crop yields for corn, beans, and squash.
@villagehomestead Here's my 3 sisters garden and how I planted it.
♬ original sound - Village Homestead
"What you do is you plant your corn, and once it is about 6 inches tall, then you plant your beans right alongside the corn. … And then I've got squash planted next to the corn as well," they say, panning the camera to show massive, healthy plants in the garden.
How it's helping
Gardening can be a great way to give back to the environment. By choosing native plants, you help local pollinators, and they will help you in return. Plus, growing your own food requires a lot less transit, as opposed to produce shipped to stores — making the carbon footprint of your salad or fruit cup smaller.
The trio of crops in the Three Sisters garden are staples in Native American agriculture, and the method of planting is backed by science.
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"Corn provides tall stalks for the beans to climb so that they are not out-competed by sprawling squash vines," according to Native Seeds Search. "Beans provide nitrogen to fertilize the soil while also stabilizing the tall corn during heavy winds. … The large leaves of squash plants shade the ground which helps retain soil moisture and prevent weeds."
In short, it's a symbiotic relationship, which has been proved effective by centuries if not millennia of Three Sisters gardens planted by Indigenous peoples.
Methods that implement companion planting make gardening easier and more affordable — as you can save time and money by letting your plants do some of the heavy lifting for you.
What everyone's saying
Growing your own food is a great way to get outdoors and connect with nature and, in turn, it has been shown to positively affect mental health. With the Three Sister garden making this outside outlet even easier, commenters were super enthusiastic about the hack.
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Not enough time ⏳ "3 sisters garden also improves soil health… benefits the entire ecosystem too, not just the plants!" one user commented excitedly.
"I'm doing this too! That bed is thriving," another added.
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