Abenaki Seeds Project
Abenaki Seeds Project is a collaborative initiative including Abenaki Trails Project, Abenaki Helping Abenaki Food Pantry, Kearsarge Food Hub, Hopkinton Historical Society, Colby Sawyer College. It’s about a community coming together to learn about Indigenous growing practices and foodways, while supporting Native American food security in the Kearsarge area.
Three Sisters Garden: How to Grow Materials
The purpose of this guide is to provide basic information to assist you, growers, in planting tribally-provided seeds, and to whet your appetites to learn more about Abenaki foodways, past and present.
Our hope is that you will successfully grow specific varieties of corn, beans, and squash – the Abenaki word for which is wawicakasotijik, which means “those who are sisters together.”
We further hope that, should you have harvest to share, it will be donated back to the project.
Learn about how to start a three sisters garden.
Learn about hand pollinating corn in your three sisters garden.
Through the Abenaki Seeds Project, seeds and starts are offered free to any home gardener who is eager to grow a three sisters garden and can pick up their own seeds at the distribution date and locations listed below.
Seed registration has closed! For those who have ordered seeds, distribution will be held on Saturday April 20th between 10am-12pm at Sweet Beet Market in Bradford, MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, and Hopkinton Historical Society in Hopkinton.
Last year 2,426 seeds and 81 squash starts made their way to 50 home and community gardens, producing 490 lbs of squash, 12 lbs of dried beans, and 13 lbs of dried corn for the Abenaki Helping Abenaki Food Pantry.
You are welcome to share any portion of your harvest with the Abenaki Helping Abenaki Food Pantry, but that is not required. The Kearsarge Food Hub will facilitate these donations, more information on this process to come.
We're excited to share that this year we'll be offering significantly more educational support throughout the growing season. KFH's Education Manager, Julie, will be providing you with frequent emails to let you know what she's up to, how her three sisters garden is looking, and ways to navigate challenges you may be experiencing. We know that growing a garden can be difficult and every year presents a different set of challenges. We are committed to doing what we can to make your garden thrive so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor!