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How to Make Your Garden Have Less Weeds?

December 29, 2018

HOW TO MAKE YOUR GARDEN HAVE LESS WEEDS?

In crop gardens, we sometimes get into a spatial race with weeds, and the solution is to replace the weeds with “designed weeds” to take up the space. This can be done with green manure mulches to fertilize the gardens and supply quality mulch. This is an example of how understanding the inner workings of weeds allows us to harmonize with natural systems to both repair the earth and create production for ourselves.

It’s important to understand that the term “weed” is applied to any plant that isn’t wanted in a particular area. While we now call dandelions weeds, they once were sought-after greens. Banana trees are so prone to take root in the tropics that someone might consider them a weed, removing them from the yard, though they are the best-selling fruit in the world. The point is that just because we call a plant a weed doesn’t mean it lacks value. “Weeds” can be useful, or they can be prevented. Often, it’s us, as cultivators, who make and foster these choices or pick our small battles.

Mulch – The best way to have a weed-free garden is to prevent them in the first place, and organic mulch is probably the best way to go about that. Thickly (about 5-10 cm) mulch gardens with straw or leaves to effectively suppress weeds, and those weeds that do make it through are much more easily pulled. Not only will mulching help with weeds, but it’ll reduce the need to water, support soil life, and prevent erosion. Ultimately, the mulch will break down and continually replenish and improve the soil.

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Humanure Part 1: Why Should We Give a Crap?

November 24, 2018

HUMANURE PART 1: WHY SHOULD WE GIVE A CRAP?

Permaculture is not just about garden design. Even if you don’t have land or access to land, looking at life from a permaculture perspective can help you to make life decisions and take actions towards  upholding the ethics of permaculture in your daily practices. This article series will take a look specifically at one of these practices which we all share, examine the benefits of changing our habits from a scientific perspective, and offer some practical ideas of what to do next.

That which cannot be named

It’s something which everyone engages in, sometimes as often as once or even twice a day. It can often be the first sign of illness if it is uncomfortable, and if it’s comfortable can help us to feel healthy and of course relieved. We do it almost as often as we eat and yet many people only feel comfortable talking about it with their closest friends or doctor. This could be seen as unbalanced, but probably even more unbalanced (especially from a permaculture perspective) is how we deal with our faeces. The most popular way of treating faeces globally is still by using water, either to flush to a public sewage treatment facility or to an onsite septic tank, or, in many places, by flushing it directly into the sea or a river (1). There are many reasons why using water to treat poo is environmentally detrimental, and most readers may well be familiar with these already. However, below I will briefly go into a few. Likewise with reasons why you may wish to change your pooing habits (if you haven’t already) to that of non-water treatment.

Why do we do what we do with poo?

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Remarkable Rhubarb

March 19, 2018

REMARKABLE RHUBARB

Eat the stalks, not the leaves! Wise words to adhere to when you’re going for the over-the-top tart perennial known as rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum). This member of the Polygonaceae family has perfectly edible stalks that look similar to celery, but has leaves that are quite poisonous. Rhubarb leaves contain some seriously high levels of oxalic acid, which is a nephrotoxin and can lead to kidney damage, and even potentially death if enough of it is consumed.

This striking vegetable, although often considered a fruit by many, is thought to have originated in China, as far back as 2700 B.C.E as an ingredient in many healing remedies. Around the 1st century the Romans and Greeks were also using rhubarb to treat various illnesses. In the 13th century Marco Polo was noted to have uncovered the rhubarb in his travels. As the centuries passed, the bitter rhubarb was brought to Europe via the East Indian trade as an important ingredient in medicinal tonics. By the 18th century, rhubarb had made its way to North America and was grown and used mainly for medicinal purposes. It wasn’t until the 19th century that rhubarb was utilized as a culinary item.

Generally we think of rhubarb as red in color, and think color is indicative of sweetness. However, rhubarb can be freckled pink and even come in green. Often the green rhubarb produces higher yields and sweetness is variety (not color) dependent. It just seems the red varieties are more popular with people and so that’s what we see in the stores more often than not. I do agree that the crimson hues add some nice color to the dishes rhubarb is added to.

Whether you like your rhubarb red, green, or with a few pink freckles, growing it is easy peasy. However, there are few things you should consider before planting. It is a perennial and will come back each year (some live to 20), so make sure you have a dedicated space for it in your garden. Also, don’t harvest any stalks during the first year of growing so the rhubarb can become established. This will help you have better success in years to come. Rhubarb does best in locations that have winters with temperatures that go below 40°F and where summer temperatures aren’t excessive.

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Olduvai IV: Courage
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Olduvai II: Exodus
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