Our Gardening Principles

Sheet mulching

The process of sheet mulching is one that very closely mimics the natural patterns of a forest floor. Just as the leaves in a forest fall on the ground, deterring the weeds from growing and adding lots of nutrients for the soil, newspaper and cardboard can be laid down on any untilled area to get the same results. The permaculture group laid the materials down in the shapes of the beds, covered the newspaper and cardboard with grass clippings, manure, and soil, and finished off with straw on top. In a few months, the cardboard had killed the weeds and grass underneath and the other materials had decomposed, leaving a rich soil for growing food.

The Permaculture Working Group added much more soil than is otherwise necessary because the area on which the garden is built is far from perfect. It is firstly a valley and frost pocket. Previously it was a dumping ground and consequently there is rock and cement about 6 inches below the surface.  Additionally the soil in the area is infertile. To correct these problems, the "permies" (as the group calls themselves) added lots of soil and created raised garden beds. With higher beds, more of a variety could be planted without hitting the rock underneath. As each year passes, the soil in the garden gets much more rich and nutritious as compost is added.

Likewise the pathways in the garden are also sheet mulched. Instead of cardboard, old carpet was laid down first and wood chips were spread overtop.  With this process, the grass and weeds underneath are killed to create a very distinct pathway throughout the garden. This maintenance-free method reuses materials otherwise headed for the landfill and it looks good too!

Companion Planting

Rows of plants don’t occur in nature. Plants are always mingling with each other in natural systems. An area that has a variety of species growing (a high species diversity) is much more resistant to pests and disease. A plant that is susceptible to a certain pest or disease could simply be planted beside a partner plant that fights off that pest.  If you plant lots of variety together, then if you lose one crop to its predator, you haven't lost all of what is planted in the area.  We normally assume that such problems can be corrected and avoided with the use of pesticides and herbicides. Instead of chemicals, we can plan our gardens to grow plants in combinations that are proven to resist bugs and diseases. The most well-known historical companions are the "three sisters" corn, beans and squash. The corn provides protection and poles for the beans to climb, the beans fix nitrogen in the soil which is a nutrient in high demand for corn, and the squash shades the soil and acts as a living mulch to retain moisture in the soil.

Companion planting is often a trial and error method. Each year you can try new combinations and test the results. Here is a list of proven companions to help you get started:

• garlic repels aphids, mites, cutworms, fruit tree borers, and black spot on roses
• marigolds repel bean beetles, whitefly and soil nematodes; plant them with roses, apple trees, tomatoes and beans
• nasturtiums repel aphids, whitefly, cucumber beetles and squash bugs
• rosemary repels slugs
• castor beans repel groundhogs
• dandelions repel Colorado potato beetle
• aromatic herbs repel moth larvae from broccoli and cabbage
• spearmint repels ants; borage repels tomato hornworm
• yarrow attracts ladybugs and parasitic wasps that prey on the larvae of moths and butterflies, and aphids, scale and whitefly
• chamomile attracts hoverflies that prey on caterpillars, beetles and grasshoppers
• lamb’s quarters attract ladybugs
• lemon balm, bergamot, mustard, borage, clematis, lavender, berry bushes, willow, locust and maple attract bees
• dandelions help fruit to ripen faster
• lupines improve sandy soil by adding calcium
• comfrey improves soil by accumulating potash and other minerals
• anise and coriander will germinate better together
• dill and carrots are not compatible
• basil and rue are not compatible
• sunflowers can inhibit growth of neighbouring plants because their roots produce cinnamic acid

This is but a short list of the many stimulating and inhibiting combinations to note. It is important to remember that when something is not thriving it could simply be because it does not get along with its neighbour and there is an ideal companion across the garden.

Crop Rotation and Rodents

It is extremely important to change what you plant in each bed every spring. This way, the soil remains rich with all of its nutrients and all of the plants get what they need. Some plants require greater quantities of a nutrient compared to other plants and therefore uptake certain nutrients at a greater rate. Other plants may actually increase a certain nutrient within the soil.  Corn, for example, needs an abundance of nitrogen to grow and thus depletes the soil of nitrogen.  Soybeans on the other hand are able to fix nitrogen within the soil through a symbiotic relationship with fungi attached to their roots.  Therefore it is very beneficial to grow these two plants in rotation to ensure that the soil stays fertile and is able to support growth. 

In the summer of 1999, the "permies" had broccoli planted in the north vegetable patch with little success. There is no guarantee that when something is unsuccessful, you will immediately know why and correct the problem; however, in our case, groundhogs were the culprits! There is certainly nothing more frustrating than leaving your garden for the night with the knowledge that a destructive pest will eat what you are trying to grow! This was the problem with the broccoli.

The "permies" tried many different methods to deter the intruder: diluted urine can be poured around the perimeter of the garden or the trouble spot; cayenne or chili pepper can be sprinkled on the plant in question; castor bean plants are thought to repel groundhogs. Be creative with your attempts. As frustrating as a pest can be, it can be equally satisfying when you have solved the problem yourself.