INTERPLANTING

Three Sisters

OK, this is not exactly a crop to grow, but more a tip that if you want to bulk up your savings at the supermarket, a good approach is to use your available growing space for maximum productivity. Candice sings the praises of the traditional native American interplanting system known as three sisters where maize or corn acts as a climbing frame for the beans which fix nitrogen in the soil, while the pumpkins act as a groundcover to prevent soil from drying out. All three crops store incredibly well, Candice says, if you grow shellout bean cultivars that can be dried for using in soups, stews and casseroles.

The bean cultivars she grows in this system include soya, borlotti, black turtle, ‘Cherokee Trail of Tears’, cannellini, lima beans and ‘Blue Lake’ runner; ‘Whangaparoa Crown’ pumpkin is hard to beat for quantity, storage and flavour; while the maize she grows is a traditional Māori corn, kaanga ma.