Welcome! My name is Danielle Marriott. I run Three Sisters Farm, with the help of my family. We are located in Floyd, NY in the Mohawk Valley.
Our farm got its name for two reasons. The first reason we chose our name is to reflect the Iroquois gardening practice of planting corn, beans, and squash together. Living in Upstate New York and in the heart of the Mohawk Valley, the Haudenosaunee (meaning “People of the Long House”), or Iroquois, used this gardening technique for decades, that provided food for their families and villages.
This gardening technique uses the concept of “companion planting,” in which the plants benefit each other. The corn plant provides a stalk for the bean plant to climb. The bean plant, being a legume, produces nitrogen with its roots giving the other plants extra nutrients to grow. The squash plant has large leaves and shades the soil, which helps to prevent weed growth and keeps the soil moist. This connection between the plants is a glimpse at a bigger picture of how all life is connected and interacts and affects each other.
The second reason we chose our farm’s name is to reflect our family, which is one of the most important parts of my life. My dad, John, has three sisters. My mom, Josie, is one of three sisters. And I am one of three sisters too!