Station 5 | Milpa-Bed

Milpa-Bed – Mixed crop of maize, beans and pumpkin

The cultivation method of the milpa or three-sister garden originated in South America and has been practiced there for centuries. The term milpa comes from the Aztec language Nahuatl and means “we are sown in the field”.

The three plant species are cultivated together in one field and support each other both in terms of growth and nutrient supply. The maize as the main crop serves as a climbing pole for the beans. The pumpkin covers the soil with its leaves, which suppresses the growth of unwanted weeds and keeps the soil moist by providing shade. Through a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, the beans supply nitrogen to the soil, which other plants can utilize.

Header: Beans in the Ecological-genetic section. © Grafik: BotMuc/Tanja Simon