Grew an Indian garden this year.

[bilmac]

I planted a small garden the way the early indians did. Everybody has heard of the trinity, corn, beans, and squash. I did a little research, and found that they planted in hills on a 4' grid. Beans and corn were planted on alternating hills with squash. I planted an heirloom grain corn called painted mountain. My beans were heirloom good mother stallard. The squash were golden delicious, spagatti, and pennsylvania dutch crookneck. All through the summer it looked like there was very little going on. Now since the growing season is over and I got in to look, there was a lot more stuff than I had suspected. Actually too much squash. I expect that I will be growing a garden like this for many more years.

[keith44]

I was just thinking about trying that with butternut squash, greenbeans, and alternating popcorn with sweet corn (on different hills)
 
The questions I have are about the planting arrangement, and timing.  What spacing did you use, and did you plant everything at the same time.

[BUGEYE]

did you use fish as fertilizer like the indians ?

[bilmac]

The hills are on a 4'X4' grid. Every other hill has corn and beans planted in a square about 1' on a side with corn in the corners and beans on the sides halfway between the corn. Alternate hills are squash planted the normal way. Corn is allowed to get about 4" tall before beans are planted as the beans are to climb the cornstalks.

A couple of different twists to growing this kind of garden. By about midsummer you can't get in it because the squash vines have covered the ground. I grew a dry bean so that wasn't a problem. Green beans and sweet corn would have you walking on your squash vines. I ended up with an awful lot of squash in relation to the corn and beans. I may try to do some sort of modification to change the ratio next year. I used a permanent mulch and irrigated with a soaker hose that is now covered with mulch.  I am just going to leave all the litter from this year and add more mulch for next year.

This sort of layout would be ideal for fertilizing with fish. About a half a carp under each hill would really make things pop I think.  You would have to have a fence good enough to keep the critters from digging them up.  Alas, I can't seem to find time to even go catch some carps these days, maybe an assignment for the grandkids next summer.