09/21/2020
This a great practical permaculture deign post filled with ideas and techniques for your property....from Alexander Ojeda and the Permaculture Jax page
A quick look at Permaculture gardening for new members:
In permaculture (not gardening, but a design science), unlike organic gardening (conventional growing, but using less toxic chemistry), the planting of things depends on a list of conditions. Your land/garden has dry spots, moist spots, full sun, shade, part shade... you have varieties of plants that you want to grow, but you now have a list of things to consider. What climate is this plant cultivated for? What is the insect pressure in my area?
In permaculture, before you plant the first seed, you have to think about, what conditions are around for my soil. Is it the perfect place for the weeds or your cultivated plants? Is it perfect for grasses (like corn) or trees?
Then, your succession of plantings. What to plant when and where. Here you literally plant a few things every week. Plant about five things at a time (ramped up or down for your garden size) and in distinctly different places (dry, moist, full sun, part sun, shade, etc.) You don’t stop. You’re constantly putting plants in, in preparation for the next seasonal change. Take notes to see what worked for that particular plant.
Then, you start thinking about insect varieties that you can invite into the garden. Yes, invite. Predators and other insect balancers like lizards will keep the insect populations managed. Think about the fact that a healthy plant actually defends itself from quite a few things. This means that soil health is a big part of insect management.
You need to keep roots in the ground. All of the ground. You shouldn’t see the ground. Think of that level of density. Plant too many things. Thin them out as things get crowded. Eat or use the thinned plants. Trim the perennials back to a size where other plants can coexist.
Perennials last all year and become the hosts to predator insects. Annuals bring a variety of microbes and chemical compositions to your soil. They work well together.
Leave wasp nests and build piles of sticks. Lizards love piles of sticks to hide from their predators. Mulberry and other berry trees and shrubs along the perimeter of your yard bring in the birds. Some that like high nests and ones that like low nests. Birds eat lots of herbivore bugs.
What happens if you build a tiny pond? You've got to keep the water moving to keep it from going stagnant, but you'll have dragonflies and frogs nearby to help manage your garden's insect balance. Other great things happen even in a tiny water garden. Plant water-based foods and you'll be eating from there too.
Never plant all of your seeds at once. You need to plant a few of each variety every week or two. This allows you to get past the life cycles of insects that may eat your plants. The voracious eaters that can take out a plant are only in that stage for a short while. Once they move to their next stage, they are off to eat other things or migrate away from you. Take notes of the date, temps, rainfall and other conditions so that you'll start to get an idea fixed in your head when it's best for the things you like to grow. It'll save you time every year to get this right, faster.
Here’s where we talk about weeds. Most insects actually like weeds more than your cultivars, so they'll eat your weeds and leave your cultivars alone (maybe they know something that you don't ;). Weeds are also good for the progression of soils and grow well without any help. You didn’t even have to buy them. Treat a few like they are your favorite plants, learn what they are and find their value. They attract insects, make habitat for the predators and are actually food and medicine for us.
Plant things that are more tropical in the spring and summer, then late summer things that are better for cold. They germinate well in the waning heat, but thrive when it’s cool. Things that germinate when it's cool and thrive when it's hot and sunny.
Troubleshooting guide:
When plants are being eaten, take a deep breath and realize that they have to be there for the predators to find them. After all, you are not really focusing on growing food right now, you are building a natural balance for ongoing, low-work, produce abundant success.
Once you see a plant being decimated, you plant a new one. Let the insects have that one. Any insect killing or repelling chemicals (no matter how organic or natural) destabilizes your insect balance. It works against you.
Pulling weeds instead of clipping them down takes the soil building roots out of the ground and disrupts the soil’s progression and health. Leave the roots and if they grow back, consider them free carbon cycling chop and drop. Chop the weeds and lay them down between the plants. They are covered with a micro-biome of beneficials for your plants and soil. Don't freak out if you see their seeds. After all, where are your valuable weeds going to come from for next years garden!
Mulch with straw, hay or pine straw. This leaves open spaces to allow water in, but protects the soil from the sun. Wood chips absorb the water and the sun takes the water away. Leaves are ok, but the straw is best. The open areas within the straw is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. A great way to attract soil worms and other beneficials for soil building and. Insect balance. The change in temps from the hot air and the cool spaces inside the straw causes moisture to condense out and actually water your garden.
Plants take the carbon from the air and the energy from the sun and turn it into sugars and organic matter in your soil. Roots are also pathways for rainwater into the soil. Rainwater sheds from raw sand, it needs a way in and organic matter and roots are the key.
Watering: Don't water until your plants look kind of wilted early in the morning before the sun comes out. If you water then too much, they actually get weak and insects love weak plants. Water only the soil and NEVER in full sun. You only water when the conditions are similar to when a rainstorm comes. Think, darker, cooler. Plants go formant in these conditions and allow the water to soak in. If you water in the middle of the day when it's full sun and hot, you are forcing the plants to transpire and go into full growth mode during a time when they want to wilt away from the sun. This builds weak plant material and insects LOVE weak plant material.
So, how long does this take? If you’ve planted a mixed variety of things, you’ll always have food and herbs growing. The first season, depending upon your situation, may have you losing 50% of your first plantings, after replanting those as illustrated above, you get more and more success as time goes on. Take lots of notes and remember what does best when and where. Start looking for varieties (this page is a great place) that grow very well in this area. Every conventional plant that you are used to seeing in the grocery store has a lot of varieties that are better than the conventional ones.
Grow things you can’t find in the store and explore new things. It’s an amazing thing and every year it gets better and better and better.
I hope this helps, but if not, please keep the conversation going.
