Experiment akin to 3 sisters; tomato, sunflower and cucumber

14 years ago

Hi,

I'm very interested in the benefits of companion planting, and in particular the Three Sisters technique (which I'm trying this year) for the structural and space-saving benefits it provides.

I researched far and wide for any other methods that might have similarly manyfold benefits, but couldn't find anything else comparable.

However from my research I discovered something rather interesting. This in particular is taken from the list on Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants ). I have seen other lists that directly contradict this information. But much of the data on companion planting seems to be based on hearsay and sensitive crystallization (!) rather than any rigorous scientific theory or experiment. So I am really looking for anyone who might have any past experience of how these plants fare together!

According to Wikipedia; sunflowers help tomatoes, and cucumbers are helped by sunflowers (why these two items aren't inversely listed I don't know!) Also according to a long list of companions linked from another thread here, cucumber is a companion of both sunflower and tomato. I've seen other links between the two, although I've seen at least one list that described a negative relation between two of them (don't have the link right now).

What I've planted is: two rows of sunflowers with a wide gap in the middle, in which I've spaced out a number of tomato plants, and dotted cucumbers around.

The benefits I'm hoping for are:

- Sunflowers provide both support and cover for the tomatoes (I've arranged them as a kind of cage)

- Cucumbers provide ground cover

- Inherent companion planting benefits (whatever these might be!)

So, am I doing something really daft? Am I the first person to try this method?

Assuming this works out, and nobody has thought of it before, I'm inclined to name the technique "Children of Jah" since a friend pointed out that red, gold and green are popularly the colours of Rastafarism.

Any insights appreciated! :)

Pete

Featured Answer

screaminvern

14 years ago

If you don't have this already, go to a book store and get "Carrots Love Tomatoes". I've been companion planting sence 1998 with great success. I'm not claiming to be an expert but over the years I've discovered what works for me. Companion planting is what we (humans) did before chemicals and USDA.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

novice_2009
14 years ago
Very cool pete. I'm not too sure about those lists on companion planting either. Some seem like contradictions, as I've read to keep cucumbers away from tomatoes because they share a common pest. So I don't know what to do! I'd much rather hear it from a gardener who tried companion planting, what they used, did it work, etc. However, ask and you are told to get a book or google. Let me know how your version of three sisters turns out!!!
Related Discussions
Sunflower hulls and tomatoes, what can I do?
Q
Comments (19)
Hi violet (one of my favorite flowers, the outdoor kind). I feel like I am running kind of an experiment. Scattered a partial shade mix in the problem area and am buying a more expensive bird food with the sunflowers already hulled. The shade mix had a lot of crabgrass in it, that took off lol, but I kept at it and have most of it picked out, same with weeds. Not being familiar with what is in that mix, I will have to wait and see, wanted some of those gallardia (sp?) daisies, too, which I planted. The plants are very loosely rooted because the soil is really too loose, but are nice and green, don't want to stand up too straight, so maybe it will be a wash. I'm hoping they will root deeper as they mature. But maybe since they are probably perennials, they will surprise me next year, just got done watering them. I found a guy with a small tractor who I had plow me a long strip in the backyard where my daughter helped me plant 21 tomatoes, we caged them but with the cheaper cages, and my neighbor lent me about a 100' long soaker hose which is a godsend. I had read pros and cons about those, but pressure is maintained all along the line which makes 3 turns through the row. The tomatoes I started from seed and transplanted into 16 oz plastic cups w/drainage holes are running a little late but are starting to set fruit and many blossoms, the area gets full sun in the morning and late afternoon sun in parts of it, so we'll see how that works out. Nice healthy plants and grew tall and straight by starting them myself and getting them into sun in the front yard, was so relieved to get them in the ground. I was in tears thinking I was going to have to give them all away on freecycle after all that work. Next year, I plan to put a mass planting of the same kind of rose there mixed with perennials, so I'll be back to square 1 if I want to do tomatoes lol because so much of my small yard is shaded by my beloved trees, and I wish I could have more of those lol. I have 25 redbud seedlings, now my sister wants some, so it will work out somehow. I can only use about 3 at the most of those if I can get them through the winter. They are ready to move into larger pots now. Maybe I'll be burned out on tomatoes by then, and it's cheap to buy them at the farmer's market at certain times to can, but it always gave me satisfaction growing my own. And I don't eat very many lol. I won't mind giving what I can't use away and hope they give me enough fruit to can and hope I have the energy to do it. There is nothing to compare with home-canned tomatoes imo. Maybe it's the glass jars instead of the metal cans. It seems to me that commercial producers are using a lot of Roma tomatoes, probably because they can buy them cheaper (I don't know, we have a Heinz close to here that used a good tomato for their products), and Romas are good for certain things, but others are much better for canning imo. Thanks for your interest.
...See More
Southeast Florida gardening experiment
Q
Comments (4)
Very exciting. Are these the total number of beds you have? 3 4x8 beds, 3 4x4 beds, and have 3 2x4 beds? It must have been fun selecting all of these varieties. I love picking out everything. I have a smaller area to work with as I have reduced the size of my home garden area last year as I do not have as much time at the moment to tend to it all. I still have the community garden which if I remember right is 12 4X8 beds and other areas for containerized goodies and fruit trees, etc. I am wondering which varieties you plan on panting this fall? I am excited to hear about your progress. Best of luck and keep us posted.
...See More
ryan rowinski urban garden...amazing tomato ideas!!..video 1
Q
Comments (2)
For those interested in the tomato garden he starts that part of the tour right at the 4 minute mark of the first link. The string trellis, tomato pruning set up is almost identical to mine, so his methods interested me. He recommends snipping off suckers until "there's a good bloom". As far as I understand indeterminate tomato growth, each vine is going to set one flower cluster every third leaf branch. So there won't be a "good bloom" (imo) until he lets several suckers flower at once. There's a little contradiction there. He says prune until it happens; I'm pretty sure it doesn't happen until pruning stops. In the market or greenhouse forum here there was a few professional growers saying they prune their tomatoes to one stem until they're three and a half or four feet then leave them alone. That's probably/hopefully what Ryan meant to suggest, and that's how I want to try the string trellis next year (with a half dozen plants). One problem is it gets hard to support with just vertical strings as he suggested. Once all the suckers are vigorous and producing suckers of their own, you either spend a ridiculous amount of time dropping multiple strings vertically to each and every sucker that then need to be clipped or wrapped a couple times a week; or, as I figured out late this year, tie off some horizontal strings (connecting everything) between six and eight feet. Three horizontal strings across the whole shebang 8 inches apart in height did the job better than a dozen or more vertical strings. Think of it like an elevated weave where needed. Also interesting how he used strings for peppers and eggplant. Thanks for the links.
...See More
Experience growing Greek tomato Thessoloniki
Q
Comments (11)
I can't comment generally on the results like antonaki who has grown it a long time, but I can share what happened to me. The plant is a very metered production plant in cool weather for me. By that I mean it started out relatively slowly and stout like a sailor, then like clockwork, flowered in cycles like it really wanted to take off. My problem is it got too cold, since I started it in mid-late August for reasonable growing conditions that ended this year in mid-November. For a variety famed for perfectly shaped tomatoes, you can see in my pic one of them was a double tomato, and on the plant there is one with lips, which supposedly is very rare to have deviations from globe. I would not consider this a large tomato, just a medium globe (5 - 6 oz tomatoes). Overall my yield won't be as productive as I expected, but I only have one poor plant to judge. Had it been warmer the plant really showed potential and that is evident now as it is the healthiest of all my plants after they endured two or three season ending freezes in the last couple of months. I love the flavor and texture though. Just a note that it is probably more juicy for some people's tastes and does have many seeds. The skin in humid conditions was not tough as I expected it to be a little leathered (result: not). It just has a great balance and most of all I like the aftertaste which is a clearly a bit sweet, maybe because I could leave it on the plant much longer than maybe I should. I think it is just a classically well-balanced tomato. I'm sorry you had bad luck. If you can slip in another plant to try again, I hope it works out well. This plant and fruit is very disease resistant for me and the tomatoes have a long hang time in part because of that. PC This post was edited by PupillaCharites on Fri, Jan 23, 15 at 15:11
...See More
takadi
14 years ago
Awesome!!! Please post updates
gmom2-6boys
14 years ago
Hi Pete,

I have been companion planting for a lot of years. When I find something that works I use it the next year to see if I get the same results.

I need to get better at keeping notes on this stuff. I always think that I'll write it down later and later never comes and then I forget the next year what the results were.

There is another 3-sister companion. It is corn, squash, and pole beans. The Indians used to use this method.

I do have the book : "Carrots Love Tomatoes". It is one book that has been read from cover to cover many times. I love it. I do have others but this book puts it in simple terms.

Happy Gardening and keep the reports coming in.

Also, the best ever was green peppers and okra.

Sharon
gunnersm8
12 years ago
an old post i know, but...

a little known fact is the sunflower is actually the fourth sister. she got left out of the will for some reason.

my theory is one of the main purposes for 3 sisters is food storage if you will. squash and corn all keep very easily through cold months, and it makes sense then for the sunflower to also be included.

i did grow sunflowers with corn last year, but reasoning was purely aesthetic, and thats how i convinced the wife to let me dig up another section of lawn for corn. they did well together.
briergardener_gw
12 years ago
Well, i planted last year cucumbers and sunflower and did not find this combination working. Looked like cucumbers did not like this.
txangoddess
12 years ago
I have done a three sisters like combination of okra, Southern peas and cucumbers this year.

They all seem to be doing well and liking it about as much as my corn, beans and squash like the original, but I don't think I will do it again. I grew cowpeas this year just to see if this would work, but they are so cheap to buy outright that they really aren't worth gardening for afaic.
Diana M Joice
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
Hello Pete,

I love your enthusiasm. And would like to add that it's crucial to know if particular plants or plant families actually give massive benefit to each other. 'Carrots love Tomatoes' is a great suggestion.

I do know from a nun who tends to the monastery garden, that tomatoes, dill, calendula and turnip cabbage love each other. Just like baby leaf, radishes, dill and lettuce does. Or Broccoli, salad and fennel. Or Carrots and Leeks with salad. There are so many combinations, not only using space for a big yield. But also for keeping pests away and increasing the chemicals each plant gives to each other. The most important thing in companion planting is that you plant heavy-feeders with light-feeders. So that they won't take each others nutritions. Also deep rooters with shallow rooters.

Like I said, there a re a few things to consider when getting into companion planting.

Much success and let us know what has worked for you.

Experiment akin to 3 sisters; tomato, sunflower and cucumber

screaminvern

Comments (8)

novice_2009

Related Discussions

takadi

gmom2-6boys

gunnersm8

briergardener_gw

txangoddess

Diana M Joice

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US