Permaculture and Hoop houses

Permaculture & Hoop houses

I thought I'd try a 5-section bed with a permaculture variation... clean out bed, lay down 4-6 thick layer of newspaper, add a layer of compost about 3" thick and a layer of wood chips about 3" thick. Then plant the seeds in the traditional way—digging a little trench and place the seeds apart following their preferred seed spacing...

First, I cleaned out the bed getting rid of lots of weeds. One of the reasons I want to try permaculture is it looks like it handles weeds a lot better than exposed soil does...Where I live there is an abundance of Bermuda grass which survives about as well as cockroaches. However, I did learn something recently about weeds. My neighbor in California, a lovely woman, told me a long time ago that every thing has a positive reason for being even if we don't know what it is yet. I learned that weeds are the first line of defense for soil preservation. After soil has been cleared of whatever it was growing, the first thing that appears to keep the soil in place, rather than it blow away, are weeds. Learning that gave me a new appreciation for them. They have a very important job; without them our topsoil would blow away and then we couldn't grow anything!

Second, I spread out the newspaper over the bare soil to not only hold moisture from rain and the drip irrigation system, but also to block weeds from coming through.

Third, I dug compost from my compost bin and laid some on top of the newspapers to not only hold the paper down, but also to see how much of my own compost I had versus how much I needed to go buy. I needed 2 bags of compost. The big box store didn't have mushroom compost, which I've used and liked in the past. I ended up with cotton burr compost. I've read that it is nutrient dense, so I'm giving it a try.

The Fourth step, is to add a layer of mulch. In many of the permaculture videos they recommend getting tree mulch from tree service folks or your city. There is a city park near where I live and they happen to have lots and lots of free mulch. Just provide your own containers and vehicle. I get a couple of containers at a time.

In this freshly prepared 5-section bed I planted: Kale, Elephant Garlic, Onion, Red and Yukon Gold Potatoes, Swiss Chard, and New Zealand Spinach.

Happy with the planting results...I went out to survey my work. I noticed that something had already sprouted! I don't think I've ever seen a sprout this big emerge within 24 hours...

Looking around, though, I still have some beds that need attention and reworking for the fall, plus I still have a few things I want to plant: shallots, ginger, broccoli, and beets.

The first two permaculture beds and growing like crazy. Today we enjoyed some of the greens in a nice sandwich at lunchtime... I especially enjoy the beet greens in the cooler months.

Meanwhile, up in Michigan, Dan has been busy bending hoops and getting them installed to make a 20' x 85' large size hoop house, which are also known as high tunnels. He wants to try his hand at extended season growing in the colder climes. Today, he put up the perlins which connect the hoops together providing strength and sturdiness to the overall structure. Tomorrow it's side boards that can be used to hook wiggle wire onto; the wiggle wire will hold the plastic on the hoop house. He bought professional grade plastic that is made to last at least 4 years. The plastic will contain heat and prevent the cold winds from damaging the plants inside.

That's the job for this week. All the trips going up and down on a ladder are not easy on the legs, knees, and back. The more I plunge into serious gardening/farming, the more I have respect for our fore bearers and for farmers everywhere. 

Hey... let's throw in a harvest picture... because based on feedback, I know you love to look at a successful harvest and its inherent deliciousness. Danny and I have been starting to pick food from the fall crop lately. We've had a delicious sandwich using the greens, and a nice side salad for dinner tonight. Danny also picked some herbs to add to the macaroni dish he whipped up. You really can't get healthier food that this: no pesticides, absolutely fresh, organic heirloom seed stock, nutrient dense, and grown with love and care. What could be better?!

Stay tuned and Bon Appetit!