Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - Re: [permaculture] applying one-straw principles

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Loren Davidson <listmail@lorendavidson.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] applying one-straw principles
  • Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:09:11 -0700

At 11:47 AM -0700 6/15/05, Stephanie Gerson wrote:
hello folks,

I'd like to experiment with Fukuoka's one-straw principles in my garden
in Berkeley, California - and was wondering if anyone had any
suggestions. I have spring crops bolting (unpicked radishes and turnips,
lettuce, chard, mustard, and other greens) and wanted to simply toss some
seeds in and then cut the bolting crops down as live mulch. Would this
work? I Love gardening, but I'd like to try doing as little work as
possible with the annuals I'm growing (at least, not tilling). Any
advice?

Well, a lot would depend on your microclimate and plans for irrigation. I've had some good luck with volunteer pole beans in Oakland, and have some seeds I'd be happy to share. But you'd have to have something for them to climb. And I *was* irrigating about once a week last year, with lots of mulch around my plants.

I'd suggest the rest of the Three Sisters - squash, corn - but if you're in the part of Berkeley that's foggy and cool most of the summer, you'd have to pick your varieties very carefully, to get something that will set fruit and mature in the cooler microclimate.

I'd definitely suggest larger seeds over smaller ones - they do better in coarse mulch. And decide what your parameters are for temperature and watering.

Strawberries are also working okay in my garden; you can put them in, mulch them, and mostly leave 'em alone for a year or two. Just keep the crowns above soil level.

If your place is cool enough, you could go for another seeding of leafy vegetables that are a bit more heat-tolerant.

Just a few thoughts; drop me a note offlist if you're either interested in those beans or want to discuss gardening with Pc overtones here in the East Bay.

Loren
--
Loren Davidson listmail@lorendavidson.com
Folk music with tropical attitude - www.lorendavidson.com
"Don't try to describe a Kiss concert if you've never seen it,
Don't ever forget that you just may wind up in my songs" - J. Buffett




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page