For the Horticulture Department of the Chickasaw Nation, winter means spending time in the 6,000-square foot greenhouse, carefully cultivating herbs and vegetables for the spring planting. Corn has been grown here since January, the "older sister" of the traditional Three Sisters celebrated in Chickasaw tradition. Later beans are added to the same earth, their vines snaking around the sturdy cornstalks while they enrich the soil with nitrogen. The last to be added is squash, which quickly forms a ground cover that shades the soil, regulating temperature and retaining moisture while keeping out weeds. These three crops will be planted in mounds in accordance with the traditional Chickasaw technique. They will appear in the spiral garden at the Three Sisters Celebration, demonstrating the importance of agriculture and horticulture to the Chickasaw way of life. This form of gardening provides continuity with the ancient ways of life and provides a spiritual connection to the ancestors.