permaculture

[Linda Shewan <linda.shewan@bryn.com.au>]

I am working out my spring planting for the school teepee village garden - we 
have 7 individual gardens each with a 7 foot high bamboo teepee surrounded by 
a 30-60cm garden bed. Surrounding that is a mulched path and then another 
garden bed of approx 20-30cm wide to grow tall shelter plants for the vine 
crops on the teepee (and provide fun play spaces for the kids). I used corn 
on one bed last year to great success and am building the others this year so 
looking for more ideas for the other 6 gardens.

So far my list is arrowroot, 2 different types of sunflower, sweet corn and 
pop corn.

My other thoughts were Jerusalem artichoke and perennial sunflowers,  but I 
don't want them to spread into the garden itself and I know Jerusalem 
artichokes are meant to be rampant - not sure about perennial sunflowers. 
Will the mulched path be enough to stop them spreading back into the teepee 
garden?

Or any other ideas for tall-ish windbreak providing plants - I don't have the 
budget to create post and wire supports for berries etc. Could a grain like 
buckwheat work?

I am trying to learn the wiki so I can post my designs there but in the 
meantime it is attached here. Any comments on any of it eg. companions/guilds 
etc are welcome.

Thanks, Linda