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Eco-logical Design for Life
Permaculture Techniques for Food Production
Soil Conditioning
Improving the condition of the soil in order to facilitate plant growth can be done in a
number of ways:
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The degree of soil aeration can be enhanced by introducing burrowing creatures
such as earthworms,
the humus content of the soil can be increased by adding organic matter in the
form of compost and
nutrient deficient soils can be improved using organic fertilisers and green
manures.
Compost is made from organic matter
such as manures, straw and vegetable
scraps and by adding yarrow, comfrey
and stinging nettle the essential elements
of potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen
are added to the mixture. Soil crustaceans
such as Earwigs help with the
decomposition process. The compost on
the left is about 4 weeks old, that on the
right about 3 weeks. The sticks in the
middle of the compost heaps are used as
indicators of temperature and moisture content. The presence of black ants can be a sign
that more water needs to be added to the compost
Organic teas can be produced from a variety of
substances. Nitrogen can be obtained from a manure tea,
potassium from comfrey tea and phosphate from
stinging nettles. The manure tea illustrated takes approximately three weeks to mature.
The liquid is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3 while the remaining pulp forms an ideal
substance for mulching.
Green manure is produced by planting legumes which have a
symbiotic relationship with rhizobium, a bacteria that fixes nitrogen
from the air and stores it in nodules found on the roots of these plants.
Once mature this green manure is ploughed or dug into the soil, thus
providing a ready source of beneficial organic additives.
Worm ranching
Earthworms not only aerate the soil but also provide an efficient garbage
disposal service! These Red wriggler earthworms thrive on the organic
matter of kitchen waste and vegetable cut-offs. The earthworm castings
obtained from these farms is also ideal for planting seedlings, because the
nutrients contained therein are in an easily accessible form. Large plastic
or steel drums and earthenware pots can be reused as containers for
earthworm farms. It is important to make sure that the containers do not
get too hot, or the earthworms could die. Holes in the bottom of
containers allow earthworms to escape if the environment is undesirable.
Mulching
In order to prevent soil
from drying out straw,
wood chips and other
organic matter can be placed on the
surface of the soil. This forms a
protective layer similar to that found in
nature when plants shed their leaves. One
form of mulching, known as sheet
mulching, uses layers of materials to
create a new layer of organically rich
topsoil. Layering components for organic
decomposition above the ground and covering these up with wood chips, sheets of
newspaper or large leaves create the ideal environment for decomposition and it also
suppresses potential weed growth.
Multi-use elements
The Rhubarb plant is an example of an element that serves
multiple functions and has many uses. Its stem is edible, although
its leaves are poisonous and should not be eaten. However these
can provide good cover for mulching. The root of the rhubarb is
medicinal and can be used as a skin purifier. The leaves contain oxylic acid, which can be
used to polish tarnished metals.
Seeds and recycling
Setting aside some of the plants
that are harvested in order to let
them go to seed for the next season
is an important part of a selfsustaining permaculture garden.
Seedlings grown in this garden are
stored in recycled seedboxes and
other containers such as cardboard
boxes. Pieces of yoghurt containers
are used as labels.
Intercropping and companion
planting
Planting different plants within close
proximity to one another not only ensures
that the available land is used to the
maximum but by tapping into the natural
associations the productivity of the crop
yield itself can be increased. Synergistic
effects and symbiotic relationships in nature can be used to enhance the functioning of
the overall system within which different species of food producing plants grow.
For example growing camomile next to
vegetables such as leeks can increase their
size considerably and lettuce, spring onions
and kale grow well together. Planting
coriander near a potato crop helps to deter
aphid attack on the latter, because coriander
secretes a substance that aphids dislike.
Guilds
Guilds are combinations of leaf crops, legumes, fruits and root crops in a stacked
arrangement that use the vertical space to the maximum, and maximise productive use of
available sunlight. Combinations of various plants such as a fruit tree with a leaf crop at
its base and a vine on its trunk can ensure that several food producers, located within the
same geographical space, can make use of the different levels of solar energy. In this
garden one such guild consists of a Banana tree, beans, beetroots and poppies. In another
guild celery, beans and a tamarillo plant (tree tomatoes) grow together.
Integrating animals into the garden
Animals play an important part in any permaculture system. They perform various
functions including the supply of manure and natural fertiliser as well as pest control.
Even in areas where no domestic livestock are available to be integrated into the food
cycle other animals, such as birds, insects, spiders and lizards play a vital role in the
garden.
The presence of natural predators, such as ladybirds
which feed an aphids, provides a form of natural pest
control. In this garden parasitic wasps keep the
population of worms that feed on broad bean plants
down. The wasps lay their eggs in the worms. Once
these hatch, the young wasps eat the worms. A similar
process occurs with some wasp-spider
relationships.
Creating suitable
habitats
Lizards and frogs, natural
insect predators, are
encouraged by rocky and
aquatic environments
respectively.
Providing a place for bees to
build a hive would not only foster their presence but could provide honey for the
household as well.
The importance of flowers
Some flowers, such as the nasturtium, are also
edible. The nasturtium flower has a peppery
taste, and its leaves, which are also edible,
taste more like mustard. Flowers can also
function as a form of pest control by
distracting insects that would normally devour
vegetable
crops.
Nasturtiu
ms, for
example, when grown in the vicinity of brasicas
such as cabbage, will distract white cabbage
butterflies thereby contributing to the production of
healthier cabbages.
Flowers also attract bees (look closely at the photo)
and other pollinating insects. Pollination is essential
for many food producing plants, such as strawberries, as well as herbs.
The importance of flowers to food producing gardens should therefore not be
underestimated and, in addition, many flowers are aesthetically pleasing.
Based on a Poster and Photographs by Cathy Seeger,
Courtesy of Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group.
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