I'd be very curious to see reports on the use of Three Sisters Planting in small areas. Everything I've read says you need at least a 30'x30' plot to make it work. Less than that and you don't get enough pollination of the corn. I've actually tried it on a 5'x5' plot twice with very poor results both times. The corn on the upwind side of this plot didn't produce at all, but the farther downwind they were the more kernels the ears produced. Turns out there is a minimum plant density needed to get complete pollination. I was really disappointed in the results as I love the concept of this planting technique. My experience is that it doesn't work in suburbia unless maybe you devote most of your yard to it.

The other plant I recommend is hyacinth beans. These things are amazingly fast growing, can handle fairly extreme conditions, and produce huge amounts of hard bean seeds. However, these beans must be boiled for quite a while to get ride of toxins.

-Blast