permaculture

[Loren Davidson <listmail@lorendavidson.com>]

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
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