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As requested I have some information regarding the Three Sisters gardening methods. A quote from Chief Louis Farmer (Onondaga):

” In late spring, we plant the corn and beans and squash. They’re not just plants - we call them 3 sisters. We plant them together, 3 kinds of seeds in one hole. They want to be with each other, just as we Indians want to be together with each other. So long as they are with us, we will never starve. The creator sends them to us each year...We thank Him for the gift He gives us today and every day.”

This planting was practiced by numerous Indian tribes native to North America. There are quite a few Indian stories related to the 3 sisters. There’s a legend from Eastern Canada, A legend from the Iroquois, The Bear, Coyote, and the Three sisters to name just a few.

This is actually a very good intercropping or companion planting method. It works well when the corn is planted first, and then beans are planted, and finally the squash.

The idea is to let the corn get a head start and the pole beans will use the corn stalk, so you don’t have to stake the plants or provide string for the beans to climb. The squash will spread to cover the ground giving a living mulch to conserve water.

The beans are able to “fix” nitrogen from the air and help with growth - corn is a heavy feeder. I’ll post some links below for those who may want to read more about this method:

http://www.birdclan.org/threesisters.htm

http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/3sisters.html

http://fourstringfarm.com/2013/03/25/notes-on-three-sisters-gardening/

I am also looking into generators, I’d like to find some with not only propane or gasoline, but is there any thing out there that would be able to switch from fossil fuel to solar or wind power? Has anyone ran across anything like that?

Thanks for posting the Three Sisters story. I knew of the method, native American tradition, however not the story telling.

Preppers need to study this method and put away seeds. It is the most simplest gardening method, productive and easy to preserve over the winter months.

The generator type system you are proposing is really a modified solar electric system. I am investigating roof mount panels to add to my backup system.

I have just updated my modified sine wave inverter to sine wave and have had an eight battery storage system going on decades. I use the generator to charge the batteries.

The solar panels will provide most of the power for minimal (well, refrigeration, coms, led lights, remote sensors) electricity. The generator is for those times the batteries need conditioning or extended cloud cover. We have a lot of that in western PA.

Next year I will complete my final plans of burying a 500 gallon propane tanks. Fuel is hard to store. Propane is a good back up for cooking, drying, hot water (with evacuated tube solar hot water), and electrical generation.

Batteries and inverters are pricey with cables, transfer switches, DC breakers and a few other items added into the mix. This is the basis for power generation and storage.

Here is a general schematic of a stand alone system.

I don't particularly care for wind generators. There are numerous concerns such as icing, high winds, noise, bird blending and maintenance.

I’ve used the 3 Sisters method a few times, and there are some things that tend to get left out of the description that might be important:

1. Once all those vines grow, you won’t be able to walk through the patch. If all 3 are varieties that don’t need harvested until the plants dry down, and they don’t need any tending until then, this might be fine. But if you need to get in there, for any reason, it won’t work.

2. Spacing. When using this method, plant in hills a few feet apart. If you try to plant it in rows like normal corn, then the beans and squash will get shaded out. They might produce something, but they won’t be as healthy as they should be.

3. Harvesting. Assuming you grew a dry bean (since there’s not much chance of reaching them to pick a green bean), they will be tangled in with the corn stalks and squash vines. The untangling will mean the harvest takes longer, is more frustrating, and leads to more dropped in the process.

I find it easier to plant in blocks, and just rotate the blocks to get the soil benefits. This makes both the growing and the harvesting much easier!