Eco-logical Design for Life

Permaculture Techniques for Food Production

Examples from K.E.A.G.

Soil Conditioning

Improving the condition of the soil in order to facilitate plant growth can be done in a number of ways:

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 self-sustaining 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. Nasturtiums, 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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