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Greenhouse Updates Blog
By: Aidan Lawrence, VMNH Archaeology Research Assistant & sole greenhouse grower
April 22, 2026
1:16 PM
Picture taken roughly 20-30 days after planting seeds. Young Tutelo Strawberry Corn (Zea mays L. 'Tutelo Strawberry') plants were transplanted from the one container I started them in into six different ones. When the corn seedlings were about one-foot tall, 4 bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. 'Hidatsa Red Indian') seeds were planted around each stalk. Three cucurbit (Cucurbita pepo L. var. ozarkana D. Decker; Ozark Melon) seedlings were found growing from material that was being composted and added to 3 of the containers. At least a hundred Sacred Tobacco (Nicotiana rustica L.) seedlings were started due to extremely small size of the seeds, but only 3 were transplanted into containers after thinning.
The soils in the containers for the 'three sisters' plants consisted of a mix of vegetable potting mix and gardening potting mix. The containers for the Sacred Tobacco included these potting mixes in lesser quantities as well as a large proportion of locally-sourced red clay. The plants were planted mostly in 5-gallon plastic buckets which I had drilled drainage holes into or plastic pots of a similar volume to the 5-gallon buckets; I have had lots of luck with 5-gallon bucket gardening at home, especially with tomatoes, proving very valuable for gardeners with limited spaces for growing. Organic mulch was also added to the containers around the plants' stems.
April 28, 2026
9:53 AM
Continued growth of Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalks, Ozark Melon cucurbits, and Sacred Tobacco seedlings. Emergence of Hidatsa Red Indian bean seedlings before thinning.
May 1, 2026
3:19 PM
Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalks reached roughly two-feet in height. Hidatsa Red Indian bean seedlings thinned to two per container. Continued growth of Sacred Tobacco seedlings. Two containers at bottom left contain one Jamestown Weed (Datura stramonium L.) seedling each that I started from seed; these are barely visible due to the small size of the seedlings.
May 11, 2026
10:59 AM
Appearance of emerging corn tassels (male inflorescences/flowers) at the top of one of the Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalks.
May 18, 2026
9:11 AM
Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalks have reached roughly four-feet in height, all six are beginning to develop tassels (male inflorescences/flowers) that emerge from the tops of each plant. Hidatsa Red Indian bean seedlings thinned to one plant per container, and have begun to twine around and climb the corn stalks. Ozark Melon cucurbit plants are starting to sprawl. Continued growth of Sacred Tobacco and Jamestown Weed plants. Addition of two Longleaf Groundcherry/Smooth Groundcherry (Physalis longifolia Nutt., most likely Physalis longifolia Nutt. var. subglabrata (Mackenzie & Bush) Cronq.) plants started by me from seed.
A group of half-a-dozen or so Eastern Harvestmen (Leiobunum vittatum Say) have moved into the greenhouse, often called 'daddy long-legs', these omnivorous arachnids are harmless to humans but highly beneficial to gardens since they eat common pest insects like mites and aphids, as well as decaying plant matter.
May 19, 2026
9:15 AM
First emergence of tassel flowers on Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalk, each one of the yellow ovals (which are individual male flowers) releases thousands of grains of pollen, only one grain of which is required to land on a silk (female inflorescences/flowers) in order to pollinate it.
May 20, 2026
9:08 AM
First emergence of corn silks (female inflorescences/flowers) on a Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalk, each individual 'silk' strand pollinates one kernel on a cob of corn; I began hand-pollinating the silks using a brush to collect pollen from the tassels and applying it to the silks, as well as encouraging pollen dispersal by gently shaking the stalks.
May 26, 2026
9:41 AM
Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalks are over five-feet tall; about 10 individual cob silk-clusters emerging in total at this time with evidence of others on the way. Corn tillers (suckers that emerge from the stalk's base at 45° angles) are up to two-feet tall and some are showing signs of tasseling (male inflorescences/flowers). Hidatsa Red Indian beans are beginning to flower and most are nearly half-way up the corn stalk that they are climbing. Ozark Melon cucurbits are developing more blossoms and one male flower opened; their vines are sprawling vigorously, expanding outside of their containers and onto the floor of the greenhouse--one thing any prospective 'Three Sisters' gardener should know is that this form of companion planting is aesthetically 'messy', the plants are creating a dense little jungle among themselves but with their specific habits of growth that do not impede one another, they will bring lots of food in the end...hopefully. Sacred Tobacco plants are just about two-feet tall and are beginning to put out emergent blossoms from the main stalk with at least one flower having opened, there is evidence of suckering as well--though some ethnohistoric accounts mention that Indigenous peoples suckered (removed the suckers from) their tobacco, I am not going to since this species of tobacco really likes to sucker and you get more flowers this way. One of the Longleaf Groundcherry plants wilted significantly after a heat wave, and I pruned it to one main stalk which is still alive; the other is exhibiting early signs of blossoming.
May 28, 2026
1:44 PM
Temperature inside Greenhouse: 96° F (35.6° C)
The Jamestown Weed plants are growing very stout stems and large leaves, they dropped their initial blooms which had been forming but more are appearing among the younger leaves at the tops of the plants. One of the Sacred Tobacco plants has at least 10 open blooms with more emerging, the other two plants are not far behind.
May 29, 2026
2:42 PM
Installed new shade cloth over greenhouse with the help of VMNH Archaeology's Madison Ross to shield the plants from the extreme heat that often occurs due to lack of natural shade and being located in a hot parking lot. Temperatures inside the greenhouse on a hot, sunny day could reach as high as 130° F (54.4° C) and often did before the installation of the shade cloth, even in fall and spring, and other measures have been implemented to limit excessive temperatures.
Continued hand-pollination of corn silks (female inflorescences/flowers) on Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalks, beginning of bean pods forming on Hidatsa Red Indian bean plants, and more Ozark Melon cucurbit blossoms emerging. Two of the three Sacred Tobacco plants are now flowering and the larger of the Longleaf Groundcherry plants has begun flowering as well. The corn plants are roughly six-feet tall or so, the tallest of the stalks have begun to reach the ceiling of the greenhouse but thankfully it is only the spent and old tassels (male inflorescences/flowers) so it is unlikely they are going to grow much taller, but at least one has begun to bend slightly to accommodate the shorter headspace.
I am typically watering the 'three sisters' containers every day, especially while the corn stalks are in the silk and ear-forming stage, while the Jamestown Weed and Sacred Tobacco are typically being watered every other day. The Longleaf Groundcherries I have been giving some water everyday as they continue to get established, especially the one plant that had been struggling. Everything gets a deep watering on Fridays since I am not in on the weekends, and I have not yet noticed any detrimental consequences to the plants on this watering regimen.
June 1, 2026
9:42 AM
Continued flowering of two of the Sacred Tobaccos, the Hidatsa Red Indian beans, and Ozark Melon cucurbits as well as the larger of the Longleaf Groundcherry plants. The corn tillers (suckers) on most of the Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalks have also begun to put out both tassels (male inflorescences/flowers) and in some cases silks (female inflorescences/flowers), and in one case female silks emerging from a cluster of male flowers. I have begun checking some of the corn leaves for earwigs (most likely the European Earwig (Forficula auricularia L.)) and removing them, as well as the Sacred Tobacco plants on which I have also found earwigs.
June 2, 2026
1:25 PM
Temperature inside Greenhouse: 81° F (27.2° C), outside temperature: 71° F (21.7° C)
One of the ears of corn as it is forming on a Tutelo Strawberry Corn stalk. See also the twining bean vine as it climbs this corn stalk, recognizable by its trifoliate leaves (compound leaf with three leaflets emerging from a single stem).
Hidatsa Red Indian bean flowers towards the top of the corn stalk and bean pods towards the bottom of the same corn stalk. Bean flowers mostly self-pollinate before the flowers even open, but since I have shaken the corn stalks to disperse pollen, it has probably also helped the beans to pollinate as well.
One of the female inflorescences (flowers) on one of the Ozark Melon (C. pepo L. var. ozarkana D. Decker) cucurbit vines. Though I did not hand-pollinate any of the female flowers with pollen from a male flower, apparently some insect within the greenhouse has done this for me since the flowers appear pollinated and the fruits are already growing; likely this was done by small ants which I have found many within the other open cucurbit flowers.
Evidence of a pollinated Sacred Tobacco flower beginning to form a seed pod. Tobacco plants mostly self-pollinate, so I gently shake the plants in the morning with a gloved hand to encourage pollination; the glove is necessary to prevent accidentally absorbing a lot of nicotine through my skin. Each of the flowers will form a seed pod like the one pictured and each of these will contain hundreds of very small seeds, with one plant capable of producing hundreds of thousands of seeds.
Downward-hanging flowers of Longleaf Groundcherry. Longleaf Groundcherry benefits from pollinators, but can also self-pollinate; to assist this plant with the lack of pollinators (like bumblebees) in the greenhouse, I have been gently shaking the plant and the flowers to help it set fruit, which are a small cherry-tomato-like edible berry enclosed in a papery husk like a tomatillo.
June 3, 2026
2:18 PM
Temperature inside Greenhouse: 84° F (28.9° C), outside temperature: 77° F (25° C)
Repotted the Jamestown Weed plant that was in the smaller container into a 5-gallon bucket like the other one is in due to the former plant's leaves continually drooping. Also repotted the two Longleaf Groundcherry plants into 5-gallon buckets just to allow them to grow larger than they probably would have in the smaller containers that they were in; I have had great success growing Longleaf Groundcherries in 5-gallon buckets at home.
