A vine assigned to a living support must be sown after the support is established — corn ~6 in (~15 cm) tall, roughly 2-3 weeks — not at the same time.
Well established · costly if ignored → warn
How it works
Load. A bean vine on an immature, poorly-anchored stalk pulls it over; extension guides key the delay to the support's height (corn ~6 in) as a proxy for it being rooted enough to bear the climbing load.
What to do about it
Sow the vine 2-3 weeks after the support, once it is about 15 cm tall.
The evidence
Evidence: confirmed against 2 sources in the research-based literature.
the 2 sources
Cornell Garden-Based Learning, 'How to Plant the Three Sisters', gardening.cals.cornell.edu/lessons/curriculum-classics/the-three-sisters-exploring-an-iroquois-garden/how-to-plant-the-three-sisters (read 2026-07-11): 'When the corn plants are about 6 inches high, pole beans and pumpkins can be planted around the corn plants.'
USDA National Agricultural Library, 'The Three Sisters of Indigenous American Agriculture', nal.usda.gov/collections/stories/three-sisters (read 2026-07-11): 'Two or three weeks after the corn was planted, the women returned to plant bean seeds in the same hills.'
Change history
Every change to this rule is one commit. This is what the project's version history records — the date and the reason — not a summary of it.
- corpus: another rule here says what to do about the sow lead (remedy, no other field touched)
- promote to verified — sow vine after living support established
- cite Three Sisters sources; lead keyed to establishment, 30d->21d
Cite this page
Milpa Gardens. "A vine assigned to a living support must be sown after the support is established — corn ~6 in (~15 cm) tall, roughly 2-3 weeks — not at the same time." Evidence grade: Well established. https://milpa.garden/rules/vine-assigned-living-support-be-sown-after/
A garden-planning corpus: every claim states its evidence grade and links its sources on the page. Cite it with the grade, and add the date you read it.