Three Sisters varieties for North Texas

Hi there :)
Has anyone in Texas had success with sweet corn? Or squash? I'm looking for suggestions for varieties I can start early before it gets too hot and dry. Will be planting a 5x5 square foot '3 Sisters' style garden and so far only have the bean seeds.
The beans I'm trying will be 'Painted Lady' runner beans, 'Kentucky Wonder' pole beans (these I've grown before and do awesome here!), purple yardlong, black seeded yardlong, and Chinese red noodle yardlong. 5 varieties, one per row.
Looking to do just one variety of corn. My husband likes 'Silver Queen' but I'm not partial as long as it performs well in the heat!
For the squash element I'm wanting to do both zucchini and yellow squash.
Does this sound like it will work? I looked up silver queen corn and read it does well planted 12 inches apart and in four row groupings to help with pollination and ear fullness. Sounds like that would be perfect for my setup. Think it will be good enough for the beans and squash as well? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Well I got 2 catalogs in the mail today, The Online Greenhouse and Botanical Interests. Both have some corn and squash varieties I'm curious about. If anyone has tried I'd love to hear about your experiences growing them :)
Also do you suppose I could grow watermelon or pumpkin as the 'squash' element? Hmm..

Corn:
Peaches & Cream
Golden bantam
Strawberry popcorn

Squash:
Baby round zucchini
Tatuma
Early prolific straightneck
Early summer crookneck
Cocozelle

Pumpkin yes. Corn for 3sisters - well, not sweetcorn varieties, they arent sturdy enough to handle the vine wt- unless you trellis beans seperately, and timing for planting has to be staggered to allow each their growth cycle. Squashes like summer varieties also need space that types like butternuts do not. planting like the rough sketch also lets you harvest while utilizing 3sisters, and corn pollenating issues along with squash sprawl...

Borrowing from pinterest...

Oh wow kittriana, love the inspiration! I've seen the first pic before, the keyhole garden. I like the concept a lot, also the straw bale design, especially since they incorporate compost into the center. I like the idea of slowly feeding the bed from the inside out. Maybe next year I'll experiment with one of those, but I already have a 5x5 square raised bed I was planning to use for this project. I hear you on the no sweet corn advice, hope to find some varieties that will work for this. Have you ever done one? I remember seeing a Native American woman here on DG who had seed packets for trade that were specifically selected for the '3 sisters' garden. Just can't remember which forum that was..

Probably heirloom thread- since the old varieties used a dent corn, or Indian corn. I have always planted my small spaces with a mind to pollinization, but my squash- usually crookneck summer squash can take up a whole 4'x8' block to each plant, and I have to step somewhere!!! YouTube also has some good clips if I can find em, on the UK Native Indians home patches, and grandads gardens... I am still exploring there.

Ok. Territorial lists several OP Heirloom corns, but you may enjoy having to find some like Bloody Butcher corn, Hickory King, Rainbow Inca, or Black Aztec, also Painted Mountain corn. It appears that sunflowers also benefit in the 3 Sisiters arrangement by the way. Beans used are usually beans that are for drying. Any squash or pumpkin, but apparently you gain in flavor what you lose in mass by staying with the OP Heirloom plants. Enjoy!

Aaarg I know I replied to this but it's not here! Your input has saved me so much! I was just gonna select some faves and other varieties that sounded interesting to grow, but I think I'm going to have to put in some hard research first. Glad I didn't 'wing it' and fail miserably! Lol

Will update when I figure out my plan. Muhahahaha ;)

:) Luck!!!

I’m not in Texas, but I’m close–about three miles from the Red by the crow’s route–and I’ve tended some awfully tasty and prolific sweet corn crops here. Plant it early, about March 19. It’ll come back from a light frost. It needs to be made before dry weather sets in.

My thoughts pretty much parallel Kit’s concerning the sisters. I sistered for the first time last spring, just a few mounds out of curiosity mostly (I was reading “1491” at the time). It was enjoyable and, as usual when trying something new, I learned things. The siblings were G-90 sweet corn, Florida Speckled butter beans, and Sugar Baby pumpkins.

Leave plenty of room between mounds. Use a field corn, “a dent corn” as Kit writes. (I’ve had no experience with Indian corn, so I can’t speak for it.) The G-90 wasn’t sturdy enough, but I did get some good ears off it before the beans pulled er under. But it was already made.

The beans were mostly all vine and no bean–don’t know why.

On the squash–if you want to do it like it’s written that the Indians did it–think pumpkin, not summer squash as we know it around these parts. The idea, as you’ve probably already researched, is the corn feeds off the beans, bristly pumpkin runners protect the corn and beans from the feeding of varmints, and you feed off the three sisters, plus the coons–lots of protein there in an available package, and they craved protein, the Indians.

Have fun.

Thanks Adam! Will try planting corn March 19 then, if it doesn't make it through potential frost, oh well.. Can always replant! Been researching away, gonna mound up my square foot bed to about 6 inches higher in the center. Soil should be great, had some kentucky wonder pole beans in it last year and I found out they fix the nitrogen in the soil, especially helpful to the next year's crop.

Since we're in water restriction right now, I'm anticipating it may get worse this year and don't want to bite off more than I can chew, so just gonna try one mound this year and take lots of pics and notes, hopefully be able to do more next year. We're on a fairly new property and been putting in beds little by little. The big plot will be devoted to my 2 dozen tomato varieties, wish me luck on that.. I'm sure I'll need it! Lol

Ok, so far my best candidate for the first sister is 'Stowells Evergreen' sweet corn from Baker Creek:

http://www.rareseeds.com/stowells-evergreen-sweet-corn/

Reviews say it's an early heirloom, growing up to 12 ft tall. They should be able to handle my beans just fine, but I plan on staking them from the get go as a preventative measure just in case. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Next candidate is 'Country Gentleman' sweet corn, also from Baker Creek:

http://www.rareseeds.com/country-gentleman-sweet-corn/

Reviews on this one also say it's a tall variety, frequently over 8 feet, but won't do well germinating in cool ground like the Stowell's does..

Trust me, I hear you guys on advising against sweet corn, but if I'm gonna be using water on a crop, I want it to be something my family will want to eat! Lol :D

Ok off to do more research! My eyes are crossing already...

All vine, no bean, eh? My Kentucky wonder beans didn't start to produce until late Sept last year. I Molly coddled them all summer long and almost ripped them out more than once! Then the heat snapped, and they bloomed and fruited until our first freeze. I think it had to do with planting too late. I didn't have that bed up and running until mid-late May. Big mistake here with our scorching summers, not to mention the grasshoppers who chomped them to almost nubs every time they leafed out.

I want to use them again this year, the kentucky wonders, but I plan on using them on cattle panels and planting as many as I can. I'm so glad I didn't pull them, they really impressed me later in the season. For my 3 sisters, I'd really like to try the yardlongs, planting them once the corn is knee high, but I need to read up on them a tad more. I already have the seeds for 3 different varieties of yardlongs and I am itching to plant them, can you tell?

I can tell, sounds like you’re into it a yard deep. Granted, sweet corn just pulled is ambrosia, but I also like a taste of field corn now and then–and we have a few chickens. As you’ve found and I believe, the timing of planting each sister is highly important.

Interesting that you mentioned them, Kentucky Wonders are planned into my seed purchase for this year. (I’m going with FEDCO. I enjoy reading and looking at the art work in their catalogue. I’ve never bought seed from them, but I made a grafting supplies purchase from them a couple of years back and was satisfied with the way they took care of their end of the deal.) I haven’t planted them in years. When I did, it was the bush type; I’m going with the poles this year. They’ve been around a whet and have built up a good rep.

I plan to offer them concrete reinforcement wire to climb. I have some hog panels--similar to cattle panels--which honey suckle is presently using, but think that they would be heavy to work with.

It won’t be long. Next month is onion and tater month.

Have fun.

taters in ground before mid month, yup. Painted Mtn corn is a sweet corn. Just dont use the cornstalks for supports, but plant close in the stalks- each plant has at least one bug it feeds- leaffooted bugs to sunflowers, corn earwig/worms to corn, beans feed a LOT of cats so over plant, and using the corn and beans supposedly camouflages the squash from the squash vine borer...know there are others drawn to the mix, but those are the ones in my memory. I always dug a hollow for the corn, so later when it floods I can rebury with more earth around the stalks- my onions go in ground by Thanksgiving and have since I lived in Oklahoma, but bulbs wait til tater month...

Had never heard of FEDCO before but now I have them bookmarked for later, along with a dozen or so other seed companies mentioned on another post asking for top 10 favorite seed catalogs.
Seen some people shape tunnels out of the cattle panel and the beans hang down inside the tunnel.. Pretty cool looking, but not for me this year.
Do sweet potatoes get planted next month also? I really want to try some!

Kitt - that Painted Mtn corn is another good choice! And not to mention, gorgeous! I think no matter what corn I use, I may just end up staking them early on for foolproof bean supporting. Funny you mentioned the caterpillars and the beans. Noticed a big fat one on my beans last year, turned out to be a polyphemus cat. Reminded me of the big hookah puffing one from Alice in wonderland!

Negative on the sweet potatoes for next month, they are very cold sensitive. They like it hot and humid.

If you’re going to raise your own SP slips, which is very easy to do, start about the ides of March. If the slips peak through and frost is expected, just throw a layer of protective dirt over them; dirt needs to be added along as the slips grow, anyway, I think.

Slips can be transplanted to the tater patch when the weather warms. I’m usually waiting on the slips to get right instead of waiting on the weather to get right. I’ve transplanted all by early June and dig taters toward the end of August or early September, when the nights have cooled some and the humidity is lower. Some years I get lucky and catch a blue bird day, after a front has moved through.

The sweet potato is a true blessing.

Have fun.

Yes I'm going to root my own slips this year. I got worried maybe I was supposed to have started them already! I've been having a hard time remembering what needs to get planted and when, thank god for this site! I love me some sweet potato.. Especially drizzled with cinnamon honey butter :P

Okay I finally decided on my sisters!! Will be doing Country gentleman corn, Kentucky wonder pole beans, and Odessa squash.. that was a tough decision and I hope it works. Seeds will all come from baker creek. I'll post pics as I start sowing :)

Ummm Nicole from Al. I think has slips of Beauregard and another dark flesh SP- Most of the younger folks are goin for lighter colored new var like Wmart sells, but I like the older ones. There is a place in Tn I have considered ordering SP to start my own slips. tatorman.com and sweetpotatoplant.com havent checked the Watchsite, but...

Ummm Nicole from Al. I think has slips of Beauregard and another dark flesh SP- Most of the younger folks are goin for lighter colored new var like Wmart sells, but I like the older ones. There is a place in Tn I have considered ordering SP to start my own slips. www.tatorman.com and http://www.sweetpotatoplant.com havent checked the Watchsite, but...

It's not me with slips, although I do usually grow Beauregard.

Boy I made a mess of that post! Glad ya here Nicole! I pull fott back out of mouth now, chuckl

Lol I thought I was missing something! Glad to know I'm not crazy, well can't exactly promise anything ;)