Join the D&R Greenway Land Trust for a demonstration of the Three Sisters gardening method at the Discovery Center at Point Breeze, 101 East Park Street in Bordentown on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 11 a.m. The demonstration will be presented by Brooke McMinn, head gardener at Point Breeze, and Rob Flory, a farmer at D&R Greenway’s St. Michaels Farm Preserve.

The Three Sisters – squash, corn, and beans – are grown interplanted with one another, supporting each other and providing greater yields when planted together than when planted alone. This technique dates back about 700 years when Native Americans began to grow the three crops together. The planting method was across what is now the United States including the Lenape tribes that inhabited the areas that are today known as New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Corn in a Three Sisters plot provides a stalk for beans to climb, and in turn beans provide Nitrogen to the soil that benefits the roots of corn and squash. Squash provides ground cover that shades the soil, keeping weeds suppressed and retaining soil moisture. Interplanted crops are also less prone to pests than mono-planted crops, use nutrients more efficiently, and are shown to produce more fruit. And of course, each of these plants produce vegetables to eat. Everything grown in the historic Point Breeze garden is donated to help local families in need.

The event takes place at Pointe Breeze, a property with thousands of years of history. While there is no evidence of settlement, archeological digs at Point Breeze have found many arrowheads indicating a history of Lenape hunting. Fishing is also assumed to happen on the property due to the confluence of Crosswicks Creek and the Delaware River at the edge of Point Breeze.

Later, Point Breeze became the grand estate of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother and exiled King of Spain. While a resident of New Jersey, Bonaparte built a magnificent park on his property including a large agricultural and floral garden. The Discovery Center at Point Breeze is housed in the former home of Bonaparte’s gardener who tended to these many plots. One of these plots has been restored and acts as a demonstration garden where Three Sisters plants and other vegetables now grow.

The garden demonstration will take place inside the Discovery Center as a talk in case of rain. Those interested can register at info@drgreenway.org. A fee of $10 per person supports programs at the Discovery Center and can be paid at the door.