Sunday, March 26, 2017

Edible integration

When I wrote about what survived in my garden, through the heatwave recently, there was something I forgot to mention. Can you see it?


Hugelkultur bed #1 ~ avocado in background


This side of the hugelkultur bed, has always grown the lushest. I theorise, it has to do with the avocado tree, next to it. I control the growth of the avocado, so the shade doesn't overpower the bed. What is given in return however, is protection from the harsh afternoon sun - and much, much more.

We often think of plants as requiring moisture, and they do. But we don't always comprehend as readily, how they create moisture through transpiration, through their leaves. Studies have shown that transpiration from plants alone, accounts for roughly 10 percent of the moisture, in the atmosphere. So this little group of plants, worked together, to retain what moisture was drawn from the soil.

Bare patches in the garden, only grow larger, in the heat. Which is why food forests make a lot of sense! There's not a lot of bare patches in a forest.


 Avocado tree - between two hugelkultur beds


I don't strictly have a food forest, but in my vegetable patch, I'm experimenting with introducing trees and shrubs for buffering. We know how the tree, helped the plants in the hugelkultur bed, but the door swings both ways too. Having raised hugelkultur beds, on either side of this avocado tree, helped protect its roots from the harsh sun. 

Can you see the damaged leaves, above? The avocado, suffered from sunburn through the heatwave. Some leaves are still on the tree, but many simply died and fell to the bottom. All part of the natural cycle. What was interesting to observe, was how fewer leaves dropped in comparison to prior years. Plus, how quickly the tree recovered with new growth, when the weather normalised again.

I've had this tree sustain more damage, just from a regular summer, when it had flat, mulched, soil around it. So the tree has benefited from the raised hugelkultur beds, and the plants have benefited from the afternoon shade of the tree. This is clearly the sweet spot, in this edible garden.


Hugelkultur bed #1


Same hugelkultur bed (opposite side) and the only other plants to survive, were the Arrowroot and Basil. Arrowroot is another perennial, which I grow for mulching material. It's thick rhizome roots, can adequately protect them from weather extremes. The basil, evidently survived in the shade of it.

The patterns I am noticing is how the annuals only survive, in the wake of the perennials. Annuals quickly get wiped-out, otherwise. They just don't have the biological means, for coping. Everything I have demonstrated in my garden, didn't have shade-cloth erected, or much additional water added. Not enough to replace, what the heat withdrew, weeks on end. So what has survived, is almost everything nature could throw at it.


 Hugelkultur beds, back in Spring (before the heatwave)
~ installing beds: part 1 and part 2


I'm starting to view my edible areas in a different way. When it's not strictly a vegetable bed, and not strictly an orchard, but an integrated system instead, the plants work together to protect themselves. Of course, you can introduce shade-cloth for mutual benefit, and install irrigation. Perennials are an extra buffer though, and a natural life saver if you don't have artificial interventions.

Elementary really, but I grew up in the land of edible segregation. Glad I'm revising that position, more so, every year.

Do you integrate your annuals with perennials?


16 comments:

  1. Food for thought in that post Chris. I am toying with the idea of planting a food garden next to the dam because the ornamental plants there don't seem to be affected by pests. There are lots of dragon flies, robber flies and other predator insects that inhabit that area, also the dam is visited by wild ducks who act as our pest patrol in the gardens, pasture and orchard.

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    1. The position you are contemplating next to the dam, would be an amazing experiment. I've always found naked dams (just grass) a little stark in appearance.

      All the upsides for integrating your food garden near the dam, would be great for pest management - but consider distance as well. If it's not convenient to the house, you might have to stack your longer growing crops there, and have a smaller kitchen garden, near the house for your quicker crops. I'm thinking predominantly herbs and cut greens, as they get eaten the most regular.

      My patch is only about 10 metres from the house, but I have to turn a corner and go up a slope. It's also inconvenient, if I'm hunting for food at dusk or at night. I've been toying with installing a kitchen garden closer to the verandah. Like just out the back door.

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  2. This type of observational wisdom is what makes gardening so interesting! I also plant much closer together here in Australia than recommended as we get SO much sunlight. Some of the best gardens I have grown only get full morning sun and shade in the afternoon which is similar to what you have been saying but in a different context. Tania over at Outback Tania grows underneath shade cloth most of the year as she is in semi desert.

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    1. You're dead right MHM. Literally. Sun is the killer of plants in Australia. We get so much of it with high temps, and not consistent rainfall. Planting in groups to retain moisture threfore, really works better at preserving moisture, rather than losing it to evaporation.

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  3. Well, 'integrate rather than segregate' is one of the permaculture principles, so you've got it right there. When you consider a typical forest, most of the plants are perennials and those that are annuals are small and in the ground layer, so they're protected from extremes of climate and just germinate, grow and drop seed according to the season. Whoever thought of the food forest idea (I presume it was Bill Mollison) was right on the ball.

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    1. I was thinking of that permaculture principal too. Integrate rather than segregate. But to see it play out in one of the worst summers we've experienced here, is just magic!

      I suspect Mollison was working on it, but I know a dude in England actually built one, specifically to study it. They call it a forest garden over there. Martin Crawford's research may become very influential in the future.

      You can see a video about his forest garden, in the UK, here.

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    2. Martin Crawford was the name I was trying to think of. Thanks for the video link. I think I've seen it before but always worth a second look.

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    3. I remember when I first watched it, I was astounded at what he was sharing. As it wasn't that mainstream yet. Not even in permaculture circles. It was referred to, but there weren't as many demonstration sites as there are today. :)

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  4. Oh to be as observant as you are! I must remind myself this year to spend more time really looking at my plants as they grow instead of being so focused on what they produce.

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    1. I'd love my main focus to be on the harvest, lol, I just have to succeed at growing it. ;)

      Some parts of the US are really blessed with natural climatic conditions though. But I notice those conditions are changing a little more over the years too. A little less water for everyone, but some poor region gets hammered with a flood and land slides. Dicey times to plan a garden!

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  5. Hi, Chris. I just spent the weekend in at the Northey Street City Farm in Brisbane doing an Introduction to Permaculture course. (I am just learning!) We were really encouraged to observe and to watch and that's exactly what you've done to work out what's happening in and around your hugelkultur beds. We learnt a lot about edible perennials and I hope to grow some in my garden to make it more resilient and to increase the food I can get from the garden. Typically, I have annuals in my veggie patch and wicking barrels and then flowering perennials, shrubs, natives etc. around the perimeter fence line. I have an avocado and a mandarin tree and some blueberries in pots too. So many plans now after a weekend of learning. Little steps though! Meg:)

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    1. I've just read your post Meg. Sounds like a wonderful day you had. I'm glad they're making this stuff mainstream. It's so important for our future, to know how to grow food. Looking forward to seeing your garden experiments as they happen. :)

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  6. Chris our arrowroot plant is absolutely huge. It is almost growing like a weed and I keep telling myself I should try cooking the tubers as a potato substitute but never get round to it.

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    1. Sounds like a great experiment to try! I'm still at the propagation stage. I've more than doubled what I originally bought, but not enough to start eating it yet. I'd rather move new plants around to increase my stock.

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  7. Very interesting that your hugelkulture beds have done so well in a heat wave! I'm a bit discouraged with my raised beds (not true hugelkulture, however) because they dry out fastest. I'm doing some double dug beds (reverse hugelkulture!) to see if that helps. I'm realizing they are simply swales with a lot of soil layered in with the organic matter, and since the second dig is into our clay subsoil, I'm hoping it will help hold moisture longer! We'll see.

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    1. Raised beds do dry out, and mine reacted similar with my annuals too. However, the perennials are what made it in the hugelkultur bed. Because it's the perennials which seem to have secondary support systems, with either rhizomes, bulbs, fleshy tap-roots, or leaves capable of mitigating heat better, than annuals do. It keeps them alive, as their roots reach further down to the moisture underground.

      I hope your double dug-swales, prove to be successful. They will be interesting to observe over the season.

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