I mentioned that I had a home in
Michigan where I could put the seeds in the ground one week and come back and
have vegetables. Well, it wasn't quite that easy, but it was pretty easy.
We lived in an area with a spring underground, so there was a constant supply of water, but there was also about 11,000 years worth of great soil. Michigan and the Midwest is part of the Corn Belt, prairie and deciduous forests that have lots of growth capacity to their systems, so things grow, die, decay and leave their nutrients behind.
The desert isn't quite so forgiving. First, while we do have a soil base, it is pretty much silt and sand with some clay found in areas. Without the clay, there is little to bid the soils, so the winds take it away easily. Next, our system doesn't have much diversity, so we find the soil is lacking certain nutrients, zinc and manganese being the two primary ones. Finally, because it is missing nutrients, it is also a bit more on the alkaline rather than acid (what Michigan soils would be). Now, some things, like zinc and manganese are easy to add back to the soil. Once we do that, we open up to some of the weeds that will grow. That brings on the insects and other pests. Sigh, you fix one thing, another problem starts.
That's actually the problem with Genetic Modification, but that's a different post. In this case, farmers fix one thing and another starts up, can be addressed with companion planting. This is using the natural chemical nature of certain plants to ward off the problems in your garden or to boost the growth of a nearby plant.
One of the biggest companion planting that used to be part of my childhood, was clover in the grass. Today, we work very hard to get this "weed" out of the lawn and then we wonder why the grass isn't so green? The clover is actually able to ADD nitrogen to the soil and that helps to make it green. Besides, you can also spend hours looking for 4 leaf clovers as a kid. This is companion planting. That one little weed, taken out of your lawn, has made Scott Fertilizer a business. They sell you one thing to kill the weeds and another to green you up, when in fact, you could just include clover in the lawn and not call it a weed and not have to add fertilizer! Because we are adding so much fertilizer, we are changing the chemical composition to too much nitrogen and killing off the beneficial organisms (worms?)
By changing the system in the environment, we change what we feel we have to do to the system to get it working again.
Other companion plantings are able to keep insects from my garden, some help each other in various ways from the chemicals to a support system.
Remember the story of the Indians helping the Pilgrims? Put a fish in with the corn and squash seed? Well, that isn't quite what they did, but close. Instead, they used companion planting of Corn, Squash and Beans. Corn, provided the stalk for the beans to crawl up. The beans provided nitrogen for the growing squash and corn. The squash spread out on the ground to prevent weeds from growing. I planted all three in one hole This companion set will prevent weeds (so no herbicide needed), will encourage growth (no fertilizer needed). This means I have to purchase less and put less on the ground. This protects the soils and protects our water. We flood irrigate from the creek and this percolates into the ground water. If we put things onto the ground, we have to expect that it will end up in our ground water. Companion planting helps to keep things from polluting my own water.
We are not organic, but do things with the mechanisms of organic without paying the government for the label. Our neighbors are our customers, their understanding of our practices help them determine whether our products are worth the prices we put on them. It is a bit more labor intensive, but done right, not much.
Here are some other companion plantings:
"ASPARAGUS: Friends: Aster family flowers, dill ,coriander, carrots, tomatoes, parsley, basil, comfrey and marigolds. Avoid: Onions, garlic and potatoes."
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html
This was HUGE for me, I had been given Asters and planted them around the garden. Imagine my surprise when the Asparagus grew huge and often..we were sick of asparagus last year, canning this year.
"
We lived in an area with a spring underground, so there was a constant supply of water, but there was also about 11,000 years worth of great soil. Michigan and the Midwest is part of the Corn Belt, prairie and deciduous forests that have lots of growth capacity to their systems, so things grow, die, decay and leave their nutrients behind.
The desert isn't quite so forgiving. First, while we do have a soil base, it is pretty much silt and sand with some clay found in areas. Without the clay, there is little to bid the soils, so the winds take it away easily. Next, our system doesn't have much diversity, so we find the soil is lacking certain nutrients, zinc and manganese being the two primary ones. Finally, because it is missing nutrients, it is also a bit more on the alkaline rather than acid (what Michigan soils would be). Now, some things, like zinc and manganese are easy to add back to the soil. Once we do that, we open up to some of the weeds that will grow. That brings on the insects and other pests. Sigh, you fix one thing, another problem starts.
That's actually the problem with Genetic Modification, but that's a different post. In this case, farmers fix one thing and another starts up, can be addressed with companion planting. This is using the natural chemical nature of certain plants to ward off the problems in your garden or to boost the growth of a nearby plant.
One of the biggest companion planting that used to be part of my childhood, was clover in the grass. Today, we work very hard to get this "weed" out of the lawn and then we wonder why the grass isn't so green? The clover is actually able to ADD nitrogen to the soil and that helps to make it green. Besides, you can also spend hours looking for 4 leaf clovers as a kid. This is companion planting. That one little weed, taken out of your lawn, has made Scott Fertilizer a business. They sell you one thing to kill the weeds and another to green you up, when in fact, you could just include clover in the lawn and not call it a weed and not have to add fertilizer! Because we are adding so much fertilizer, we are changing the chemical composition to too much nitrogen and killing off the beneficial organisms (worms?)
By changing the system in the environment, we change what we feel we have to do to the system to get it working again.
Other companion plantings are able to keep insects from my garden, some help each other in various ways from the chemicals to a support system.
Remember the story of the Indians helping the Pilgrims? Put a fish in with the corn and squash seed? Well, that isn't quite what they did, but close. Instead, they used companion planting of Corn, Squash and Beans. Corn, provided the stalk for the beans to crawl up. The beans provided nitrogen for the growing squash and corn. The squash spread out on the ground to prevent weeds from growing. I planted all three in one hole This companion set will prevent weeds (so no herbicide needed), will encourage growth (no fertilizer needed). This means I have to purchase less and put less on the ground. This protects the soils and protects our water. We flood irrigate from the creek and this percolates into the ground water. If we put things onto the ground, we have to expect that it will end up in our ground water. Companion planting helps to keep things from polluting my own water.
We are not organic, but do things with the mechanisms of organic without paying the government for the label. Our neighbors are our customers, their understanding of our practices help them determine whether our products are worth the prices we put on them. It is a bit more labor intensive, but done right, not much.
Here are some other companion plantings:
"ASPARAGUS: Friends: Aster family flowers, dill ,coriander, carrots, tomatoes, parsley, basil, comfrey and marigolds. Avoid: Onions, garlic and potatoes."
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html
This was HUGE for me, I had been given Asters and planted them around the garden. Imagine my surprise when the Asparagus grew huge and often..we were sick of asparagus last year, canning this year.
"
"BASIL: Plant with tomatoes to improve growth and flavor. Basil also
does well with peppers, oregano, asparagus and petunias. Basil can be helpful
in repelling thrips. It is said to repel flies and mosquitoes. Do not plant
near rue or sage." http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html
I am planting the Basil in the
onion/peppers/tomato field. Because the Basil repels several insects, we
are hopeful we won't have too many this year.
"
"BEANS: All bean enrich the soil with
nitrogen fixed form the air, improving the conditions for whatever crop you
plant after the beans are finished. In general they are good company for
carrots, celery, chards, corn, eggplant, peas, potatoes, brassicas, beets,
radish, strawberry and cucumbers. Beans are great for heavy nitrogen users like
corn and grain plants because the nitrogren used up by the corn and grains are
replaced at the end of the season when the bean plants die back. French Haricot
beans, sweet corn and melons are a good combo. Summer savory deters bean
beetles and improves growth and flavor. Keep beans away from the alliums. Growing
tip: Do not allow beans to mature on the plant, or it will stop producing,
and do not pick beans or cultivate when they are wet, or it will spread viral
diseases." http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html
I always wondered why the Amish of
NW Indiana always had flowers in their gardens. They are a simple people,
but one of the women I met finally told me about the beneficial properties of
some flowers as pesticides.
"
MARIGOLDS:
(Calendula): Given a lot of credit
as a pest deterrent. Keeps soil free of bad nematodes; supposed to discourage
many insects. Plant freely throughout the garden. The marigolds you choose must
be a scented variety for them to work. One down side is that marigolds do
attract spider mites and slugs.
- French Marigold (T. patula) has roots that exude a substance which spreads in their immediate vicinity killing nematodes. For nematode control you want to plant dense areas of them. There have been some studies done that proved this nematode killing effect lasted for several years after the plants died back. These marigolds also help to deter whiteflies when planted around tomatoes and can be used in greenhouses for the same purpose. Whiteflies hate the smell of marigolds. Do not plant French marigolds next to bean plants.
- Mexican marigold (T. minuta) is the most powerful of the insect repelling marigolds and may also overwhelm weed roots such as bind weed! It is said to repel the Mexican bean beetle and wild bunnies! Be careful it can have an herbicidal effect on some plants like beans and cabbage."
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html
Notice that these can also have harmful effects on other plants!
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