But if left untended, any garden quickly becomes vulnerable to predators. Chipmunks hit the garden pretty hard right after planting, and the blackbirds and sparrows will soon move in. Insect damage is reduced by planting in mounds that protect the roots and encourage a broad rooting system. Some mounds contain corn and beans or squash planted together, other areas of the garden will grow as thick as a jungle, with squash forming a defensive layer along the bottom. Beans will grow up into the corn and spread out to further defeat garden pests.
Corn provides the framework for the other crops to wrap around.
Individual mounds also promote good drainage and make tending the garden easier. In July , a traditional ceremonial figure, Hayoka , appears in the Dakotah Garden. A clown, and a healer, Hayoka represents an unpredictable force and is an alien power to be exploited carefully. The head of this example is made from woven straw, a traditional Hayoka's head would have been made from a big ball of old fur. RCHS associates Jay Red Hawk and Tom LaBlanc planted in four stages, two weeks apart, beginning in early May and finishing in mid-June.