Even the Maya were aware of the importance of the mixed culture. A cultivation system that has survived over the centuries is the so-called milpa: corn, beans and pumpkin are grown in a bed.
A South American cultivation system that should work here in Germany? The mixed culture partners maize (Zea mays), Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and pumpkin (Cucurbita spec.) are also classics here that are often grown. However, we can learn from the indigenous people of South America how well the three cultures fit together and complement each other. The English term “Three Sisters” also makes this clear. In this article you will learn what Milpa is all about and how you can easily create a Milpa bed in your garden.
contents
- Milpa beet: what is it?
- What are the benefits of a Milpa bed?
- Creating a Milpa bed: step by step
- The right care
Milpa beet: what is it?
The word Milpa means something like "the near field". It can be attributed to the fact that the Maya's milpa fields were actually close to their dwellings. Milpa means that corn, beans and squash are grown together in the same field and complement each other. This is to ensure a rich harvest and healthy plants. The three sisters used to provide the indigenous peoples with basic supplies: corn is a energy-giving grain that can be stored for a long time and for making tortillas and the like has been used. Beans, on the other hand, are important sources of protein and pumpkins contain other vitamins and minerals.
What are the benefits of a Milpa bed?
The three mixed culture partners, corn, beans and pumpkins, support each other. The corn as the main crop also serves as a climbing aid for the beans. Since beans belong to the legumes, they enter into a symbiosis with nodule bacteria. These then fix the nitrogen from the air, which supports the growth of the beans and, in the long term, fertilizes the soil through the rotting of the plant remains. As the third partner, the pumpkin covers the ground with its large leaves, which suppresses the growth of unwanted weeds and keeps the ground moist by shading it.
Other advantages of a Milpa bed are the efficient use of space, which allows high yields in a fairly small area, and the low maintenance requirements. As soon as the ground is covered by the pumpkin, the bed is more or less left to itself. For this reason, weeding, for example, is only necessary at the beginning of cultivation.
Creating a Milpa bed: step by step
A milpa bed can be laid out in many different ways, so that after initial research you may be overwhelmed with the many options. With our step-by-step instructions, nothing stands in the way of a successful cultivation.
1. face selection: For a milpa bed, you should choose a piece of your garden that is at least 1.20m x 2m and gets a lot of sun. Also, keep in mind that mixed culture grows very tall. So it can easily happen that other crops in the garden are shaded.
2. improve soil: All three cultures prefer humus rich soil that stores water well. If you want to prepare your garden soil well for cultivation, you can use a nutrient-rich soil such as ours Plantura organic compost or some of your own compost.
3. Select cultivation system: In South America, the milpa is typically clumped. That means, for example, you plant three corn plants and two bean plants close together and at some distance from them the pumpkin. Alternatively, you can create a Milpa bed in rows. The maize is grown with a row spacing of 60 to 80 cm and a planting distance within the row of about 40 cm. Up to three beans are sowed around each corn plant. Finally, between the rows of corn there is the pumpkin, where a distance of about 2 m between the individual plants should be maintained.
4. select varieties: Variety selection is critical to successful Milpa culture. Above all, the composition of corn and beans must be right. For example, if you combine a fast-growing bean with a rather slow-growing corn, it can quickly happen that the bean overgrows the corn and literally wrestles to the ground. In the case of beans, it is also advantageous to choose a colorful variety. These are easier to find later in the thicket of the Milpa bed than green beans. We have compiled some good combinations for you in the table below.
| corn variety | type of bean |
|---|---|
| 'Black Aztec' | 'Goldsfield', 'Green Postal Squirrel' |
| 'Golden Bantam' | 'Scarlett Emperor', 'Sunset' |
| 'Rainbow Inca' | 'Distinctive' |
| 'XT Goldcrest' | 'Neckargold', 'Neckarqueen' |
| 'SF 201' | 'Markant', 'Matilda', 'Flavourstar', 'Musica', Blauhilde |
5. Prefer corn and possibly pumpkin: Maize develops slowly when young and in our part of the world it can be planted in the bed from mid-April at the earliest. It is therefore a good idea to bring him indoors from March. Give each corn seedling its own pot right from the start, as young corn plants have strong roots and it is difficult to prick them out. You have two options when planting pumpkins: you can either bring them forward from April or sow them directly in May together with the beans.
6. Planting and sowing in May: In mid-May, the self-grown or purchased young plants can move into the bed. The planting distances as described under point 3 should be observed. At the same time as planting the corn and squash, the beans can also be sown about 5 cm deep in a circle around the corn plants.
The right care
In the beginning it may still be necessary to keep the soil free of weeds by hand. But once the plants are big enough, even a little weed won't bother them and you can leave the bed to itself. If everything went well, a wild, green and yet fertile jungle will have emerged from around July. Of course, the three types of vegetables need enough water, so regular watering is essential, especially during increasing dry periods. Especially squash and corn have a high water requirement from the flowering stage and if the supply is too low, cobs and fruits remain small.
If the three sisters are grown in a fertile, well-prepared field, they usually do not need to be fertilized. In South America, milpa is typically intensively farmed for only three years, followed by a ten-year fallow period. Because corn and pumpkin in particular are among the heavy consumers. Another common practice in South America is slash and burn. This allows nutrients and organic matter to return to the soil. Since that is not possible with us, you can simply compost the plant residues directly on the area as mulch and dig under in the spring before the next planting.
Tip: You can even start a small Milpa culture in a large bucket on the balcony or terrace. To do this, choose a short-growing corn, such as the 'Supai Red' variety, from which four to five plants are planted in the middle of the bucket. Four bush beans are placed in a circle on the outer edge of the bucket. A small pumpkin is placed between the corn and the beans. The substrate should be a nutrient-rich soil, such as ours Plantura organic compost, be used. It is completely peat-free and therefore more sustainable than many ordinary potting soils.
If you want to learn more about growing different plants in one bed, you can check out our article on mixed culture Continue reading. There you will find out, for example, why tomatoes and basil go so well together not only on the plate, but also in the bed.
