This is the third diary in a new series on ecological gardening that I will be writing for the Practical Survivalism and Sustainable Living group here on Daily Kos.
I want to apologize for waiting so long to finish this diary. I was dealt some crushing news back in December and really haven't been in the best of moods. I was listening to Paul Wheaton's 103rd podcast the other day and was reminded that you lose your right to complain if you aren't doing anything. Lord knows I love to complain, so I figured I better get back on this series while winter was still in full swing. I'd also like to make a link to his article on hugelkultur (the use of woody materials in raised planting mounds) that he is hoping to get ~50 million hits on. No, seriously, he does get a lot of traffic and a plug here can only help.
The purpose of this diary series is to share my limited knowledge about a revolutionary mindset that is nothing short of a paradigm shift in our relationship to the natural world. What this diary will not be is a definitive, earth shattering work that claims to understand everything. What will be described here is not "Finchj's way" but rather my understanding of agroecology and how I tried to internalize and apply it.
The first diary can be found here; the second, here. As this form of land stewardship is knowledge based, I highly recommend readers to follow the series through- at least reading the diaries with "Introduction" in their title.
I will include an introduction simliar to this one in each diary for sake of continuity and disclosure.
I want to stress that ecological gardening is possible without formal training and is a DIYer dream. Nature will teach you everything you need to know, but since we have limited time here on earth, my aim is to share what I know and where I learned things so the growth will be exponential.
Last time here...(admittedly a very long time ago)
In the last diary, I described five basic truths regarding ecological gardening:
Water flows through the landscape perpendicular to contour, unless impeded
Solar angles can be determined by your physical location on earth
The sun is the primary engine for life on earth
Soil must be protected from the elements
Nothing is ever in isolation
With that in mind, I provided a very brief story of a sunflower that had already sprouted and begun to grow. The sunflower's relationship to the soil, soil life, sun, water, and pollinators was glossed over. This is, of course, due to the very complicated nature of ecology and the restrictions of this medium. The main ecological term we learned about was the niche. I then promised to cover soil, the layers found within a garden, and competition through time and space in this diary. Instead, I will focus on soil only in this diary. Otherwise, it would become entirely too lengthy. In an effort to avoid being to academic, I will keep this as brief as possible.
I'd like to add a quote that, I think, really encapsulates the truth of the matter. This is an excerpt from Akinori Kimura's Miracle Apples:
The things we can actually do as humans are pretty limited really. Everyone talks about how hard I worked, but it wasn’t me who struggled, it was the apple trees. That’s not me being modest. I honestly think so. However hard an individual tries, they won’t produce a single apple blossom. Whether it’s on the tips of their fingers, or the tips of their toes, they just can’t do it. This might seem like common sense. Yet those who think they can don’t understand the real significance of this. When I see an orchard submerged in flowers in full bloom, I really appreciate this. It’s not me who made these trees blossom. It’s the apple trees. Deep down inside I realized that the heroes here are not the people, they’re the apple trees. I thought it was me growing apples. That I’m managing apple trees. All I can do, though, is help the apple trees. I realized this eventually after many failed attempts. And it took an awfully long time for me to realize that.’
The story is absolutely wonderful. You won't regret it!
As this introduction progresses, we will be taking an ever wider perspective of the garden. The fundamental topic of this diary is the most immediate neighbor of the sunflower we are observing: the soil.
July 17, 2011. How many edges and neighbors can you identify?
Basic Garden Ecology 2: Introduction to Soils
Our singular focus on the sunflower in the previous diary served to heighten our awareness of the many different functions even a solitary plant can have in the landscape. Oftentimes, gardeners develop tunnel vision when it comes to functions in the garden. Let us now treat this short sighted tendency by examining the sunflower's most important neighbor: the soil and its accompanying life.
An ecological gardener begins to look at his or her garden from the widest angle possible before zooming into exacting details. As you may have noticed, I am taking the opposite approach towards introducing you to this method of gardening. We've started with our human function, turned our gaze to a sunflower, and now are examining the immediate connections it has towards the rest of the ecosystem. It is my hope that by sailing along a different tack that you will be kept from feeling entirely overwhelmed.
Same sunflowers as the image from above, but one month earlier (Jun 14 2011). From this roughly 45 degree angle, we can see how the polyculture is dividing the physical, above ground space a little better than a direct view. Do you think that the sunflower is in high competition with the lettuce that immediately surrounds it? Why or why not?
Neighbors in the Soil
If you were to guess, how much of the total biomass of a plant would you say resides underground? 20%? 30? The answer is closer, if not beyond, 50% of the total plant. And, contrary to belief, the root growth does not mirror that of the above ground form. In fact, plant root growth varies not only from species to species, but is also greatly affected by the soil profile, planting technique (was it started from seed in the soil, or transplanted? Transplanted more than once?), watering and fertilizer regime, among other factors. The subterranean world is actually quite amazing, if not more so than what we can observe above it.
Soil, by far, plays host to the vast majority of biological activity in any terrestrial environment. Ecosystem health is maintained by the balance of creatures that live underground. When we consider the billions of microorganisms (and not so micro!) that live in the soil, it should become apparent that living soil- not sterile soil that results from the biological warfare we wage with biocides- should be the aim of us as stewards of the land. Plants co-evolved over billions of years with the life in the soil. Attempting to eradicate these bonds because of our fear of the unknown is the quickest way to unhealthy plants, more disease, pest problems, and addiction to industrial sources of fertility.
To be a responsible steward of land in our care, we must take a principled stance when it comes to soil.
Harnessing the Power of Soil
The beginning of great soil [from left to right, hope the formatting works for everyone]: establishment of pathways, double digging to loosen highly compacted soil, addition of lime to reduce acidity, and a protective layer of mulch.
As I double dug one bed, I would build a compost pile on top. This would protect the soil as well as leach nutrients into the newly loosened ground.
The piles were moved constantly down into the garden as more beds were dug and a layer of compost and mulch replaced them. The center shot is from our second area of the garden, that played host to our nightshade guild, just as we began to transplant our indoor-reared plants. Lastly, we see the results from our efforts. Each year the soil will become healthier and yield more and better crops for us and our wild allies.
What follows is a simple guide to ensuring our sunflower's soil neighbors are healthy.
Everyone's situation is unique. Although our goals and objectives by differ from person to person and climate to climate, I feel comfortable enough to tell you that soil needs a one thing from us: respect. Respect for the living world underneath our feet means understanding that all organisms need food, water, and shelter.
In order to provide for these, ecological gardeners employ (almost universally) mulch, plant cover, and pathways.
Mulch
Mulch can come in many different forms: from freshly chopped leaves from a dynamic accumulator to gravel stones. Your choice of mulch material depends on the situation at hand. For the purposes of this section, mulch will refer to organic material rather than stones (which will be covered at another time). We chose to bring in wood mulch from our city to jumpstart our garden; in the future almost all organic matter will be grown by us or gathered from our neighborhood. Mulch made from organic matter provides all three needs of soil- food, water, and shelter. It is essential to creating ideal soil conditions for plants.
Regardless of form, mulch protects soil from the elements. Left exposed, the sun will bake the upper layer of the soil- increasing evaporation of precious water. Solar radiation also kills many microorganisms; soil organisms in particular favor dark and moist conditions. On top of this, exposed soil experiences rapid fluctuations in temperature.
Mulch moderates temperatures, creating consistant growing conditions. Plants value consistency, just as you wouldn't want the temperature in your home to swing wildly, neither will your allies in the garden. In the spring, deep mulch will slow the warming of the soil- how negative this is depends on your location. The opposite is true in the fall when mulch can extend the growing season. The right mulch depth can actually keep soil from freezing (depending on your climate, of course!)- preventing heaving of the soil as it freezes and thaws.
Although water is our precious resource, it is also the most damaging. Mulch allays the soil from the impact of hard rain. Mulch also absorbs and maintains its grip on water molecules better than mineral soil. Slowing water down reduces or ends erosion and allows for water to be used before it exits our systems.
Another advantage of mulch is that it protects against wind. Windy days result in the evaporation of huge amounts of water from plants and the soil. But with your water tucked away in organic matter and not just in the soil, we reduce the need for watering.
Even 1/4" layer of mulch will begin to mitigate these threats to soil life.
The food requirement is also met by mulch. As organic matter decomposes, it feeds the entire soil food web. Fungi are the primary decomposers and provide nutrients to the soil organisms and plants if they are in symbiotic relationship (and upon death the nutrients are free to all). Every plant has different nutrient requirements and so the make up of the organic matter produced by them will vary. Some plants, known as dynamic accumulators, store above average levels of nutrients. Making sure to have as many growing as possible to use as mulch producers will allow you to recycle nutrients before they leave your site. Eventually, all this mulch and biological action will result in a rich layer of humus. Humus is the sign of a healthy soil development.
Many soil organisms live in organic matter and therefore use it as their habitat. Organic matter does not need to be tilled directly into the soil because of the action of these organisms. Let others do the work for you, help them out by reducing their stress. Mulch prodigiously.
It can take a heck of a lot of mulch to cover a garden, so if you have the time, growing your own with green manure crops is a good bet. Importing mulch can have its own problems, as we found out with morning glories.
Plant Cover
Once you have mulch, plant growth will be stronger and healthier. As I talked about in the last diary, plants feed soil organisms (and vice versa, remember mycorrhizal fungi). They exude chemical signals, sugars, and other secretions from their roots into the surrounding zone. Biological activity surges around these root zones, which sometimes only live for a few hours at a time. In this way they can encourage or discourage the microorganisms that they have co-evolved with.
Much recent research is demonstrating the complex relationships between plants and soil organisms. Plants can chemically signal these symbiots in order to ward off disease and pests. The plants, with their ability to convert solar energy into different compounds, literally fill the soil with life.
Besides encouraging a soil food web to develop, plants explore the soil with their roots. They loosen the soil through this physical action in search of nutrients and water. Roughly 90% of all plants have also co-evolved with mycorrhizal fungi to assist them in the underground economy. These fungi work as a secondary root system, while also performing functions such as decomposition and linking to other plants through a fungal network. If two separate species of plants have the same symbiotic relationship with the same mycorrhizal fungi, the fungi can conduct an elaborate trade of everything from water and nutrients to sharing chemical signals.
It is incredibly important to keep plant growth occurring for as long as possible to keep this engine humming along. Besides driving this ecosystem, plants also act as a living mulch- providing the same protections for the soil as mulch does. Because they reach beyond ground level, they provide habitat and food requirements for the rest of us. Beyond that, they also anchor the soil with their roots, helping to minimize erosion. So, keep plants growing; keep the niches filled.
Jan 10, 2012: A nascent polyculture including, among others, Daikon radish, garlic, thyme, oregano, cilantro, onions, lemon balm, red and white clovers
Pathways
In a garden, paths act as the arteries of the garden. They offer much more than just access: mulch is hauled along wider pathways, a stepping stone tertiary path may lead to a secluded spot for meditation, and the sweet rewards from a strawberry patch can be reached from a terminated path in the form of a keyhole. Pathways should be designed for efficiency, but we won't get into that here.
The primary purpose of a pathway is to keep us from compacting the soil in our gardens. Compacted soil retards water infiltration, stifles air circulation, damages roots, and generally impedes biological functions. Well designed pathways should always be considered as a major factor in any garden design, especially when we want to safeguard our toilsome efforts of soil decompaction.
Apr 15, 2011. A view from above showing planned pathways for what would become our Four Sisters guild. Nodes, keyholes, and- center right (unmulched)- a wheel barrow turn around all fulfill different design goals.
Conclusion
Mulch, vegetative cover, and pathways are the easiest ways to promote good soil health in your garden. They do not require much work, but return the most benefits. Of course, they are not the only way towards increasing soil fertility! Compost, compost teas, and natural fertilizers are also very important- to say nothing of green manure crops in general. The power of this trifecta lies in their simplicity.
While there is much more to soil than I have laid out here, I hope that this diary will give you a good idea as to how we tailor our labor towards working with natural forces rather than against them.
The next diary will be on time and cover the above ground layers of a garden.
Jan 25, 2012. Even in the midst of winter, soil is being created and fertility increased through the use of cover crops, mulches, and winter hardy species. Diversity in the layers of the garden are still lacking- more on that next time!
Edit- It has occurred to me after a few comments that I should share some resources in each diary for further research.
My favorites books:
Edible Forest Gardens, Vol I and II. David Jacke with Eric Toensmeier. Chelsea Green, 2006.
Sepp Holzer's Permaculture. Sepp Holzer, translated by Anna Sapsford-Francis. Chelsea Green, 2010. Yes, that is an Amazon link... not my fav but it'll direct you to the book.
Gaia's Garden. Toby Hemenway. Chelsea Green, 2009 (2nd edition).
Let the Water Do the Work. Bill Zeedyk and Van Clother. The Quivira Coalition, 2009.
The One Straw Revolution. Masanobu Fukuoka. Link will point you to a decent review.
For a much fuller list of books on the subject, see Toby Hemenway's Permaculture Reading List. The article I linked to up top is also a great read.
There are plenty of materials online as well. The Permaculture Institute of Australia is excellent.
Youtube has plenty of videos. If you want to see a slideshow of our garden from the first part of last year, click here.
