weeds

those wild annuals we called 'weeds' are a secondary succession of plants that come to a wounded ecology to make it fertile enough for the next succession, which is grasses and brambles, usually.

the 'weeds', -such as plantain, dandelion, burdock, lamsquarters, pigweed, vetch, clover- help the soil by adding their tough fibre, pulling up nutrients from deep in the soil, and holding the soil tight together in protection from erosion and the harsh sun.

soil always wants a cover.

the toughest, most medicinal little plants come in and build the fertility of the soil. these plants are most often medicinal for humans too.

the soil condition -alkali, acid, fertile, etc.- can be infered by some observation of the weed guilds. Here are some indicators; (from Burbidge, Jean. "Reading Weeds on the Farm", Winter 2000, Eco-Farms and Gardens. pg13)

high soil fertility:
chickweed
chickory
groundsel
lambsquarters

acid soil:
hawkweed
dock
wild strawberry
mullein
knapweed

alkali soil:
bladder campion
wild carrot
black henbane
perrenial sowthistle

heavy clay soil:
buttercup
plantain
coltsfoot
dandelion
dock

low potassium:
eastern bracken
corn chamomile
yarrow

high potassium:
spotted water hemlock
red clover
knapweed

weeds can act as companion plants, significantly reducing insect damage.

cultivating certains weeds can as a cover crop or within your cover crop can be a free, super-nutritions, pest-controlling way of nourishing the soil.

i say 'can' because it is up to the gardener to listen to what combination and timing is going to create what ecosystem.

grasses compete with vegetable roots for nutrients: they are the next succession after weeds, and should be kept out of the garden.

nitrogen fixers:
clover
vetch
legumes
alfalfa

companion plantings

companion plantings

(from the book Culture and Horticulture, by Wolf Storl, (Wyoming, 1979) and others.

for earthworms:
stinging nettle
plantain
dandelion
thistles

strawberries: dandelions
solanacea: amaranthus
esp. pigweed.

corn: pigweed
The Three Sisters; bean, corn and squash go well together

vegetables: yarrow
valerian
for erosion:
ragweed
pigweed
clover
plantain
all the deep rooters ( burdock, dandelion, dock, thistle)

Gathered notes from hither and tither...

carrots love tomatos

things that taste good together, grow well together

legumes and alliums do not fraternize well.

brassicas like lime/alkali
potatoes do like lime
after potatoes add alkali for brassicas
potatoes do not like to follow peas

squash, cucurbitacea, solanacea: heaviest feeders
can also use second stage compost (which is less composted, still volatile: still hot)

snakes and lizards: rock piles

* * * please leave comments of other good companions you know of...

weeds

From Wolf Storl again,
Weeds act as companion plants. They reduce damage by insects. The deep rooted weeds pump up the leached-out nutrients. They add a lot of fiber for the soil. Weeds are the primary succession, the first repair after a big damage. They are tough, medicinal, small annuals that add to the soil.
Grass add brambles are the next succession: they compete with your vegetables. The weeds - they are nursing the soil.

some alleopaths:

• cedar
• walnut
• sunflower
• rye
• fennel
• wormwood
• poppies

Seed to Seed: syllabus overview

April 18 the Garden Ninja School's
seed to seed ecological gardening program
working with the source

*the structure*
Loosely, the structure will be one hour of talking ideas, details and theory
and 2 hours of working outside. Weather and sunlight dependant, we can be inside first, or after.

*the mission*
To provide the basic skills to empower good people to grow their own, produce a surplus, and live closer to Earth in a good way.
I see it as 'cottage industry' training,
and an exploration of cottage industry possiblities.

*the vision*
Imagine, (put on your rose-tinted glasses)
at the *rare* headquarters, the Lamb's Head Inn, there is a stylish and hip cafe, eatery, and art gallery, with flowers and plants for sale.

It functions as a gathering place, market and triage center for the rest of the activities on site.

The cafe has gourmet food from the fields, garnished with edible flowers, there are flowers on the tables; people can sit in the garden, amidst the birds and flowers, drinking teas grown right there.
Imagine....
I know it is a bit of a long shot, but lets garden to that end.

Growing tea herbs, culinary herbs, edible flowers and ornamental flowers seems a natural choice for the location, and provides us with a broad range of gardening experiences that can help people prepare their own future project.

While learning the basics of gardening, we can explore marketable crops, value-added products, and skills useful for the market and future.

Herbology, growing and arranging flowers, learning tea and culinary herbs, how to save seed and propogate plants, are all skills that can be further explored. This course offers a grounding in those and gardening basics.

*the syllabus*
- this is an overview, still subject to editing-

April 18. garden planning
April 25. phenology. sense of place. Permaculture overview.
May 2. compost. mulch. living mulch.
May 9. -break-
May 16. rotations. intercropping.
May 23. water. biodynamics.
May 30. soil. plant nutrition.
June 6. -break-
June 13. seed saving. seed stewarding.
June 20. solstice celebration.
June 27. herbology
July 4. -break-
July 11. weeds. pests.
July 18. flower arranging.
July 25. herbology.
August 1. -break-
August 8. bees.
August 15. marketing. business. funding.
August 22. flower arranging.
August 29. -break-
Sept 5. pesto.
Sept 12. pickling.
Sept 19. drying.
Sept 26. -break-
Oct 3. storing seed.
Oct 10. root cellaring.
Oct 17. seedy release party.

*cost*
$30/month.

Money, passion, needs, and responsibility do not often balance in our current economy. I am doing this from passion and what I feel is my responsiblity; I do need some cash flow to pay rent too. I do not want anyone to not attend because they cannot afford it; but the question of fairness to all arises, despite my knowledge of the deeper truth. If you are interested, and money is an obstacle, let's talk.

*what you will come out with*
An good idea of some things you can make and grow; the knowledge, ears, and skills to approach a piece of land and determine what the possibilities are; the growth of an intentional season.

You will go home with flowers, herbs, tinctures, salves and teas (and very possibly other treasures) at various times.

Permaculture Principles

these are some of my notes from permaculture class with Liz and Oliver.
they are a bit vague, written for myself, but hopefully the essence of the idea is still communicated.

Permaculture Principles

*relative location*

• put stuff where it makes the most sense.
• zones: are a series of proximities, according to use, with zone 1 being highest use and zone 9 being lowest use. Plant high maintanence thing in zone 1, low maintanence in further zones. ie. woodshed on the way to the outhouse
• ergonomics. efficiency. convinience. balance.
• be honest about behaviour, and go the lazy route.

*each element supports many functions*

• three functions for every element
• three elements for every function
• An used resource becomes a pollutant.

*each function supports many elements*

• mulitple elements for single fuctions
• Nature always has a backup plan
• eg. multiple varieties and successions
• eg. how many ways can you put out a fire
  

*use biological resources*

• use living resources
• all biological resources can be multifunctional. Dead things are often single use.
• eg. animal tractors, and living fences

*succession*

• accelerate natural succession
• cycles through time

*edge*

• edge supports more biodiversity: edges are dynamic systems
  
• maximize edge efficiency
• eg. keyhole beds

Permaculture Ethics

1. Care of the Earth

2. Care of the Earth and people
self reliance, community support and interdependance (helps avoid war)

3. Give away surplus
keeps the energy flowing. Try to produce more than you consume, if possible.

4. Everything has intrinsic value
in and of themselves.

respect
balance
effeciency
simplicity

Some Mollisonisms

"Everything gardens."
"The problem is the solution."
"The solution is the problem."