Hi everyone !
I am a beginner gardener interested in experimenting with interplanting corn, beans, and squash in a small area (zone 7B/A in central MD). I understand that the traditional "three sisters" method was used for winter storage/large low-maintenance areas, and works best with winter squash and grain corn. But I have already bought sunflower, sweet corn, zucchini, watermelon, and pole bean seeds (I'm okay with not planting all of them), and I was wondering if anyone had tips on how I could set up my gardening bed in the ground (or I can get a raised bed...?) to incorporate permaculture principles.
The area I was imagining is on a hill that gets full sun with rich soil, but I have a smaller area in a flatter location. We also have very high deer pressure, so I assume I need to fence the area (but would love not to). I was imagining I could plant sunflower & sweet corn (do i need to self-pollinate or should I ditch the idea?) in the middle, then later add pole beans around them and watermelon plants around the edges. This is also my parents' house, so I am not sure how they will feel about such an ambitious project, but I am very, very excited! Does anyone have any advice or guidance for me on how I should approach this? Or could give me some more concrete planting instructions?
Open to all suggestions and appreciate your thoughts--thank you!