Potential Productivity of Midwestern Native American Gardens

AbstractExperimental garden plots were maintained for three growing seasons on a sandy river terrace in southern Minnesota. Commonly cited yield figures for corn in Midwestern Native American gardens were tested using heirloom Northern Flint seed cultivated in a manner approximating pre-Contact horticulture. Yield was about 40 bushels/acre in the first year, declining over the next two years. Yields were considerably higher every year than historically reported averages. The test plots consisted of combinations of monocropped corn, monocropped beans, and intercropped corn and beans to determine whether there is any benefit to growing corn, beans, and squash together. No advantage in yield was found with intercropped corn, beans, and squash when planted as described in historical accounts and under the conditions of the test location. Corn was also grown both in hills and in ridges to test various hypotheses regarding the practical application of this horticultural technology.