Get our free guide to the Three Sisters technique. Corn, beans and squash planted together so they feed, shelter and protect each other. Less watering, less weeding, more food from a small plot.
The free download closes on October 31 at midnight (Pacific time).
Grown alone, each crop asks for stakes, fertilizer or hours of weeding. Grown together on the same bed, they take care of most of it themselves.
Grows tall and straight, and gives the beans a living pole to climb. No stakes needed.
Pull nitrogen from the air and leave it in the soil, where it feeds the hungry corn.
Spreads wide, prickly leaves over the ground. They shade out weeds, hold moisture in and keep pests away.
A balanced, complete diet from one small bed. The reason Mesoamerican farmers kept them side by side for millennia.
The guide walks you through each step with spacing, timing and the varieties to choose.
3 seeds every 12 inches, in 2 rows on a 3‑foot bed.
Pick a fast variety around 6 feet tall. Thin to the strongest plant at 4 inches.
3 seeds in the gaps, 3 feet between each plant.
Squash, melon or cucumber. Skip zucchini, it takes over the whole bed.
2 to 3 seeds at the foot of each corn once it reaches 12 to 20 inches.
Choose pole beans. They climb the stalks and hold the trio together.
Sow after your last frost. The guide includes a month by month calendar.
This guide started with Dominique, a dairy farmer and mayor in Burgundy, France, who travelled to Nicaragua and Guatemala in the 1980s and came back talking about corn and beans grown as one.
“The world moves forward or backward, but the gardens remain.”
Vergers du Monde is an independent publisher founded in 2020. We spend our time in fields, greenhouses and community gardens, from Paris to the Sahel, listening to farmers and herders and writing down what they know.
Every book is made with the people who hold the knowledge, alongside anthropologists, agronomists, illustrators and photographers.
“It’s just super and very motivating to learn that I can grow my own vegetables without chemicals.”
Got Winam · Protect Your Garden Without Chemicals“As a longtime organic gardener, I found this book very helpful. All recommendations are easy to execute and nature does the rest.”
Mark E. Johnson · Protect Your Garden Without Chemicals“It’s just a joy to read and leaves you feeling relaxed and happy after a hard day.”
Lulisam · Gardening with the Moon“It is an excellent book for anyone who loves to garden, as it gets you to think outside the box with a focus on food self-sufficiency.”
Nick SC · Cultivating During Wartime“The instructions were easy to follow even for someone like me who isn’t great at gardening.”
Joyce B · Grow Your Mediterranean Garden“Plant combinations which mutually reinforce each other, like corn, beans, and squash are suggested.”
Amazon customer · Cultivating During Wartime“Such a well-written, beautifully designed book.”
Maya Reeds · Create Your Aromatic Japanese Garden“Wonderfully illustrated and highly recommended as an introductory guide.”
DavidKernot · Cultivating During Wartime“Will make me think differently when planting starts!”
JRRhodes · Gardening with the Moon“A serene and inspiring guide that blends gardening with mindfulness.”
Kalian27 · Create Your Aromatic Japanese Garden“An absolute gem that brings that dream within reach!”
Ricky Baker · Grow Your Mediterranean Garden“I love everything I have read from Vergers du Monde.”
DeAnna M. · Moon Gardening with Indigenous Wisdom“I am a person who has been gardening for many years, yet I still learned many new ideas that helped me see my small garden in a whole new way.”
Eloy · Moon Gardening with Indigenous Wisdom“I rarely pick up a book as sobering and inspiring as Cultivating During Wartime.”
Renaut Martens · Cultivating During Wartime“I was so impressed by their work that I didn’t hesitate to buy it.”
Sandra Zehentner · Create Your Tibetan Garden“I’m so happy that I got this read, because it has reshaped my approach.”
rad · Create Your Tibetan Garden“It’s more than simply crops; it’s about families, communities, and resiliency.”
Philip C · Cultivating During Wartime“It is a thoroughly engrossing read that frames gardening and its purpose as something more significant.”
Fellowfield · Create Your Tibetan Garden“The premise of this book is unique, and needed.”
Diane R · Cultivating During Wartime“A fantastic purchase that I highly recommend!”
Stacey McCann · Relieve Menstrual Pain With Herbal Remedies“Worth the money for all the info it gave.”
A.M Allen · Cultivating During Wartime“The key feature is accomplishing self-sufficiency without having to rely on external inputs.”
J. Stanley · Cultivating During WartimeVerified reviews from Amazon.com, across our books and guides.
Yes. Enter your email and the PDF is sent to you right away. No card, no catch.
No. The Three Sisters are known for saving space and giving abundant harvests even in small areas. A single 3‑foot wide bed is enough to start.
The guide shows you how to choose corn, bean and squash varieties suited to your climate and season length, and when to sow after the last frost.
Yes. The planting plan is three steps with exact spacing and timing, and the guide lists the mistakes to avoid before you start.
An independent publisher founded in 2020 that collects and shares the ecological knowledge of farmers from around the world. Our 20 books and guides are read in 4 languages.
Free PDF guide, 18 illustrated pages, sent instantly.
Send me the free guide