Slash and Burn

• The Iroquois settled on the tops of hills and clear-cut them to construct their longhouses and palisades, which were tall, woven-wood walls built for protection. After cutting away small trees and brush, they burned the area in early spring while the ground was still wet. This killed insects and disease and also added potassium-rich ash to the soil. The Iroquois kept the large fruit and nut-bearing trees from the fires, allowing them to provide food for the tribe. (See Reference 2-4)
  
  

The Three Sisters

• The Iroquois planted the companion crops of corn, beans and squash. They called these vegetables the "Three Sisters," believing in their powers to nourish. The Iroquois have legends about these crops, which they pass down generation to generation. In the legends, beans, planted beneath corn, grow up the corn stalks, using them from support. Squash, with its huge leaves, deters weeds by shading the ground. Corn acts as a repellent for bugs, beans add nitrogen to the soil and squash plants compost into the soil acting as a fertilizer. Three Sisters planting makes good framing sense and continues on farms around the world, today. (See References 1-3)
  
  

Mound Planting

• The Iroquois placed their seeds in mounds of soil about 4 inches high. The purpose of this was to improve water drainage as well as keep the soil warm for the seed to germinate. By creating mounds, the soil heated quicker and retained warmth longer. A small crater in the center of the mound holds water, preventing the rain from washing over the mound without benefiting the seeds planted there. Mound planting does not work in hot, dry climates.
  
  

Rotating Fields

• After farming an area for several years, the Iroquois moved to a new location, beginning the slash and burn process over again. This allowed fields to go back to their original state, which meant that the land gained nutrients from the native plants that grew where the crops once stood. Rotating fields is a practice still found in agriculture today. However, when improperly done in places where native vegetation grows slowly, such as the tropics, the environment suffers greatly. (See Reference 1-4)