Lincoln, Neb. — A unique corn display has attracted attention this summer at the Hastings City Library's new outdoor learning greenspace, located at the corner of North Denver Avenue and West Third Street. The planting features the “Three Sisters”—a combination of sacred corn from the Nebraska Ponca, winter squash, and pole beans—showcasing traditional indigenous agricultural practices while fostering community engagement.
The Nebraska Extension Master Gardeners in Adams County led this initiative in partnership with the Hastings City Library and the City of Hastings. Their efforts have transformed the outdoor space, blending education with the natural environment.
“I’ve really appreciated the involvement of the Master Gardeners,” said Amy Dissmeyer, director of Hastings City Library. “They’ve gone above and beyond my expectations. We’ve received so many compliments from the community about how wonderful the space looks.”
Master Gardener volunteer Darrell Light spearheaded the project, which employs intercropping—planting maize, beans, and squash together. Known as the Three Sisters, this technique dates back over 500 years and is a symbol of both the physical and spiritual nourishment these crops provided for many Native American tribes.
The Library's Three Sisters planting consists of 24 mounds, each sown with four kernels of sacred corn in mid-May. Pole beans were added in early June, followed by various types of winter squash by mid-June, including kabocha, tokoyo blue, black futsu, acorn, butternut, buttercup, baby blue, spaghetti squash, and several pumpkin varieties.
Master Gardener volunteer Stacy Bierman, of Hastings, provided three varieties of Ponca maize—blue, red, and red-mottled-white—gifted to her by Tom Genung of BOLD Nebraska. Genung had received the sacred corn from Neligh farmer Art Tanderup, who grows this 137-year-old maize, originally preserved in a Lakota Sioux medicine bundle, as part of efforts to honor the Ponca Tribe and heal historical wounds.
While the Ponca Trail of Tears did not pass through Hastings, the Library’s Three Sisters planting honors the sacrifices of all indigenous Nebraska people, including the Pawnee, and seeks to educate the community on these cultural and agricultural legacies.
Throughout the summer, Master Gardeners maintained the plot and answered public questions about the unique qualities of the sacred Ponca corn, which stands out from the hybrid varieties typically grown in Nebraska fields.
On October 1, the corn was harvested in a ceremony that included Master Gardeners Light, Bierman, and fellow Master Gardener volunteer Jane Marie, alongside Dissmeyer and Genung. The group shucked the Ponca corn, recognizing the deep historical and cultural significance of the moment.
With the Ponca Tribe’s permission, a portion of the harvested corn will remain with the Master Gardeners for future community projects. The rest will be available to the public through the University of Nebraska Extension at Adams County.
“The Master Gardeners are an incredible wealth of expertise and generosity in our community,” Dissmeyer said. “I hope they will continue to be involved as we develop the space for future library programming.”
The Nebraska Extension Master Gardeners in Adams County are trained volunteers who share gardening knowledge through various community projects, including the Highland Park Arboretum, Grace United Methodist Church Community Garden, and Hastings Middle School Community Garden, as well as educational programming for all ages.
For more information, call Adams County Extension office at 402-461-7209.
