What crops are known as the three sisters?

• A. Corn, beans and squash
• B. Tomatoes, tobacco and peanuts
• C. Palisade
• D. Cotton gin

Answer: (A)

The three sisters is a farming idea from Native American communities where corn, beans, and squash are grown together because they help each other grow. The corn provides a tall stalk for the beans to climb. The beans fix nitrogen in the soil, which feeds all the plants. The squash spreads along the ground, shading the soil to keep weeds down and hold in moisture. This teamwork makes a dependable, productive crop trio and is a notable part of Virginia’s history.

Other choices don’t fit the idea of a cooperative crop trio: tomatoes, tobacco, and peanuts are three crops but not the traditional three-sister grouping; a palisade is a fence; a cotton gin is a machine used to process cotton.