How do you grow enough food to support yourself, your family and maybe barter excess?
Unless you own land you likely don't. That doesn't mean you can't supplement your food sources. But unless you have a reasonable amount of land and a proper place to store food to get you through the non-growing winter season, then growing your own food is only a supplement and for
right now with relatively low grocery prices not a cost effective one either. But growing food is a good skill to learn right now, because it both is and it is not as easy as putting seeds in the ground. And you do not want to be learning how to grow food when you have no other choice but to grow your own, because you will make serious errors that will result in food loss and plant loss.
There is also sharecropping: Finding unused land and persuading the owner to let you farm it for a share of the produce. But without a contract, the land owner can come and retake possession of the property and it's contents at will.
Indoor container gardening will be covered by Barbara Peterson. Some of what I will say will be applicable to indoor or apartment balcony gardening. But containers can also be important outdoors in areas usually near the home where a slab of concrete has replaced soil. Indoors or outdoors, watering usually has to occur twice as often as outdoors due to a smaller container soil volume size. Outdoor containers also can suffer heat/cold swings at a much greater rate. Of course a raised bed garden is a container garden of sorts and indeed can be a genuine container.
I am a lazy farmer. I want the plants to take care of themselves and provide me with food. So this month I will discuss perennials---plants that produce food for many years as opposed to annuals that (usually) must be reseeded each year. If I need vegetation for other reasons: for example shade, wind screen, privacy, crime control, beauty, aviary or apiary, I want it to produce food too. In fact, I want it to have many uses and that takes forethought and planning ahead of time. But the bottom line: If it doesn't produce food I am not interested.
The southwestern desert of Phoenix, Arizona is my specialty which is unusual in that most gardening/ urban farming books and Internet meanderings are rather focused on wetter and colder areas. Since this is a national publication, I will attempt to comment on all condition that are applicable in the world, but an
critical part of farming is to know
your own climate, seasons, soil, rain patterns, humidity, and prevailing wind patterns. Learn them
now before you start planting.
There are many first things to do.
Observation is one of them. It is important to observe the area you plan to urban farm, homestead farm, garden and/ or container garden. How big of an area are you looking to plant? Look at the adjacent properties. What are the resources? What are the dimensions? What are the differences? What naturally grows in the area? This will help tell you what might grow in the area that is not natural to the area and what might not. What have others had success growing?
What utility lines are overhead (location and height)? What utility pipes are underground (location and depth)? Most cities provide a free service that will come out and mark underground utilities with a phone call. This does of course alert snoopy government officials that you plan on doing digging...but.... Generally they mark on an easement and not the actual path the lines take onto your property. You are civilly and criminally responsible for damage to those lines. Fines and lawsuits from neighboring businesses whose income is affected by an outage can be
very expensive. Breaching a gas or electric line can be deadly.
Sketch out the area (to scale). Mark it North, South, East, West. Place buildings, current objects, resources located both within the property and outside its edges. Fencing can act as wind brakes, heat storage and trellises in addition to keeping some animals and trespassers out. Indicate the directions of prevailing winds, any street noise or noisy neighbors, street water direction as it passes by, runoff directions, over head lines, underground pipes, shade patterns. Indicate location of the rising and setting sun on June 21st and Dec. 21st (and the direction of the shadows cast). Indeed if you really want a good indication, plot the solar path across the sky on those two days to give you an idea of both direction of sunlight and shadow (the opposite angle direction) every hour of the day.
Planning From here you can decide if any objects need to be removed or moved to implement your overall strategy.
From here you can plan where to plant everything. In my opinion, things that need the most attention and constant harvesting like gardens of annuals or fresh herbs should be nearest the home... because they need the most attention and you want to only have to step out of the house if you need to pluck something for the next meal. Trees and shrubs get planted farther out, unless shrubs are used near the home for shade, privacy and acoustic dampening (in addition to food) or the trees are
espaliered.
Remember plants against the home may be protected from winds and frost (heat loss from home). But in the northern hemisphere the north side of a home is usually in partial to constant shade.
And what to plant and when and why will be discussed in a future series of articles covering edible trees, shrubs, vines, perennial and annual vegetables, herbs, fruits and nuts.
Area Climate & similar climates around the world Knowing your climate almost always means that plants in similar climates around the world can grow in your climate.
Latitude Usually similar latitudes have similar climates. This holds true at the same latitude in the Southern hemisphere. But as you can see from the climate map above this is a very rough rule of thumb and definitely not always true and can be disturbed by bodies of water, mountains, glaciers and valleys. Interestingly prevailing soil and vegetation can also influence a climate, just as they can a yard. [I will discuss micro-climates found in yards in part 2: Edible Trees]
For example, in Phoenix, we have a hot dry desert climate but due to unique dual rainy seasons of the Sonoran Desert plants from the Mediterranean area, with its warm, long growing period, and dryness can also be readily adapted here. There are Mediterranean climates in parts of Europe (duh), Southern Australia, isolated parts of Central Asia, Central Chile and parts of Africa that have plants that usually do well here. Other climate's plants may also do well too---again in Phoenix due to the lack of freezing most sub-tropical and tropical food plants do well here as long as they get well watered.
Plants that are native to your area will grow the best---they evolved to. They are resistant to local disease. They require the least attention and resources. Everything else must be adapted. Some will adapt well. Some too well---and become invasive. Some invasion plants in some areas will not be in others due to environmental constraints. In Phoenix, bamboo--a normally invasive plant--grows very well but is restricted to just where it is watered. No water, no growth. Some plants adapt just alright to poorly which can equal slow growth, poor fruit production, size, flavor and loss to disease. Finally it may be possible to grow some plants indoors that would otherwise not grow at all, but even they may require some accumulated hours chilling or heating up before they will fruit. Fortunately container plants are movable.
USDA Hardiness Zone Map [attempts to indicate where a plant will tolerate cold]
AHS Heat Zone Map [attempts to indicate where a plant will tolerate heat] [
finder]
Sunset Magazine Climate Zone [attempts to indicate where a plant will thrive year-round]
In Phoenix, there are several nut or bean plants, cactus fruits and products that can be made out of cactus'. Additionally edible weeds and herbs. Things that pretty much grow on their own once they are two to four years of age without much need for input from me other than occasional weeding and pruning. This is the advantage of a native plant. Unfortunately in my case I have yet to run across one I really wanted to eat. Hopefully where you live there are several native plants you can't imagine living without.
Sunlight Most plants that produce edible food do best in direct sunlight. A few do well in partial shade. Others don't do terribly in partial shade. This can effect your planting strategies both as to what goes where---so taller growing, faster growing plants don't or do block out (shade) other growing plants. And to strategically place plants to provide shaded areas at times of the year (usually summer).
It is often not appreciated. But the Earth is tilted about 23.5 degrees with respect to the Sun it faces. In addition the Earth orbits the Sun taking a full year to elliptically orbit (duh, the definition of a year). This makes the Sun appear to
move up and down in its location in the sky (by 47 degrees between solstices), as well as appear closer (bigger) or farther (smaller) away. Additionally the Sun "rises" and "sets" earlier and later respectively as we approach Summer Solstice (June 21, the longest day) and "rises" and "sets" later and earlier as we approach Winter Solstice (Dec 21, the shortest day).
Create a solar chart plot Crate a length of shadows plot This effects the growing season, temperatures, winds, wind patterns and both the length
and where and when a shadow is cast.
Where one's growing site is located in latitude also effects when and where the Sun is seen to rise and set (and where shadows are cast) as well. Fortunately the US Naval Observatory
maintains a site to generate the data for you which can be used to locate plantings (select and compare June 21 and Dec. 21).
In the summer time if plants are getting too much sun they can be protected with various shade cloth.
Prevailing winds Where are the prevailing winds coming from? This is tracked and plotted monthly by weather stations around the globe and distributed in what is called a
wind rose plot (monthly data averaged over decades accumulation). Pollination can be enhanced or diminished depending upon the relationship of pollinators to each other during the pollination and the prevailing wind. Trees and shrubs can act as wind screens if planted in appropriate locations.
Wind rose plots---point FROM the direction the winds are blowing. Allows predicting average wind speed what percentage of the time and from what direction in any given month.
Create a wind rose pattern plot (USA)
Average temps Temperature is very important to plants. The two most important temperature points are 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30°C), above which the plant's growth and production starts to slow down---do you like to work when its hot? Above this temp and the plant's transpiration (equivalent of sweating) starts to shut down to conserve water.
The other important temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0°C): Freezing can kill or damage a plant. Some plants go dormant (shed leaves) or naturally die off (annuals) before this. Others need protection to survive or later come out of dormancy uninjured---usually non-native perennials. And if fruit is present (ex: citrus) it may need protection. Protection is usually provided by cloth covering and heavy watering. Placing stones around the tree can also help. Generally the trees at the periphery of an orchard are most at risk. Obviously the weight of snow and ice can break limbs. Dormancy is usually the best time to prune plants.
Global temperature Temps and precipitation Water Where is the water coming from? Municipal source, river, wells, rain, air conditioning runoff?---some people even collect their refrigerator condensation.
Greywater: water reuse from laundry machines, showers, bathtubs, sinks and even dishwashers and kitchen sinks. Generally greywater is not used on annuals (i.e., the garden) but instead used to water trees or create a wetland reclamation area next to a pond. Where does the water go?
Where does the water need to go? Is the water chlorinated (inexpensive in line activated charcoal filters can remove it)? What is the water's mineral content (The EPA requires commercial/municipal providers to provide the results for their source.)? Will your water source build up salts in your soil? Is there too much water? Too little? Ignorant neighbors may be eager to dump the rain water that comes onto their land onto yours if you need it and ask.
How to direct the water to where you want it to go? The proper draining of water? Observation can usually point to where runoff occurs by looking for erosion, silt deposits and floating organic debris accumulating. Low spots are where water accumulates after a rain. If the water is not draining into the ground within a few hours this is a problem area. If you are planting here you may need to build up the area to let it drain properly. If water is precious, terracing, swales (shallow ditches around tree lines) and berming up these areas will allow water to stay on the property by slowing down its exit and giving it time to soak into the ground.
Generally there are low areas and high areas of your property. You can measure the surface contours using a
homemade A-frame and bunyip.
An A-frame is a frame constructed of three pieces of wood to form a structure resembling the capital letter A. In this case with a pendulum suspended from the top point and a mark is made on the cross member where the two sides placed against the ground are level as measured and marked on level ground. When placed against the ground the pendulum swings toward the mark. The A-frame is used to find points across a slope that are at exactly the same level. These points are on a line that is the same level across the slope and are designated a contour line. Barriers made
along a contour will stop or slow the flow of water most efficiently.
A bunyip is two yard sticks (homemade 2 x 2's with markings work) and an attached 25 foot long length of translucent/transparent plastic (Tygon) tubing filled with water. One person holds while another moves around measuring in inches the water drop or rise between the two points as reported by the bunyip difference in the two measuring sticks. With a little patience the entire contours of the yard can be mapped out. Every three inches equals approx. one degree of slope. Generally you want between a on to two degree slope to encourage water movement without heavy erosion.
Measure how much rain water falls on your property and roof top (if you intend to catch and divert the roof runoff) in a year on average, and at likely peaks. Avg. rainfall (in inches) x 0.57 gallons/sq. ft./inch of rain x sq. ft of surface being calculated.
For 1/3 of an acre for example equals approx. 15,000 sq. ft. of area. Multiply by 0.57 gallons/sq. ft. equals 8,550 gallons per inch of rainfall on that property annually. So here one needs to find out the average rainfall for an area and ideally the historical monthly distributions (rain patterns) for both the monthly average and worst case scenario. This can determine the heaviest loads likely to be faced by any property and whether the earthworks will handle the rainfall.
Get your monthly average rainfall (USA)
Roofs are easy to calculate. Ignore the pitch. All you have to do is measure the outside dimensions. This will give you the area. You can calculate the rest from above. Whether you capture this runoff into cisterns or plant it directly into the ground, rainwater is the cleanest of water sources. It is pure water. But it will wash any dust, bird excrement and plant material on the roof with it along with any degraded material the roof is made out of. The best water for all plants including your gardens.
Fresh water is precious in ever increasing areas.
Conserving water is an economical solution. This can be done through planing water thrifty crops (no fun at all), enriching the ground's ability to store water (water banking), decreasing ground (and plant) evaporation rates through planting vegetation and mulching, and putting water only where it is needed and in the correct amounts at a time when the plants in that area can most utilize it.
Drip irrigation is one such method. It lends itself to automated watering and is sophisticated enough that it can be connected to rain gauges and a humidity measurer so it won't turn on unless needed. Additionally wind gauges can delay watering so spray/evaporation losses are minimized. And even soil moisture sensors can decide whether or not it is time to water. These automated systems can cost a lot. Even drip irrigation systems without this complexity (i.e., manual) can cost a lot as the systems are designed to only last a year before the plastic needs replacement. And in my experience a balance system unless it is near its water source (due to frictional losses in a long water line) is limited to around 20 emitters per line.
Ideally watering should be done as a heavy irrigation delivered to where the roots are, and then several days to weeks depending upon conditions for drying to occur. This is a general rule and certain plants may require more water and others much less. Annuals are frequently watered daily.
Soil What type of soil do you have? Does it drain well? Does it hold water? Is it fertile?
Soil is rock that has broken down. Is weathers into rocks, finally forming sand and eventually fine particles of silt and clay. Minerals are released in the process. Organic material from dead or discarded plant material, and deceased soil organisms decomposes into future plant food or water holding material called humus.
Soil will have a color. Generally the blacker (darker due to organic material present) it is the better. If you dig down a couple of feet in your property you should find an upper soil layer usually some four to eight inches, followed by one or more layers below. The upper layer is the top soil. This is where the majority of roots for any plant will be found. This is where organic material is breaking down. This is where the majority of microbial life is. If you are really lucky it is deeper than eight inches. If you are really unlucky it is barely present. If it is barely present you will have to make your top soil using a method called
sheet layered or lasagna composting, where layers of compost and newspaper are placed atop a cardboard weed barrier and then planted with the idea that this layer will breakdown into a rich soil within the year. Unless you have a ready source of compost this is expensive.
Any white layer is usually salt buildup from repeated too light an irrigation with improper drainage depositing the minerals contained in the water. It should taste salty.
You want to know the breakdown of soil texture into percentages of sandy, loamy (silt) and clay. The sandier the soil the quicker water penetrates and drains away. The clayier the soil water tends to run off and not penetrate the surface. Loamy soil tends to soak up large volume of water per its weight due to its high organic/humus content. Humus is what remains of broken down (decayed) vegetable matter. Some areas of soil can be adjusted with sand or compost (humus) to increase certain attributes. But large scales at a time are labor intensive and destructive to soil life with one exception: Lasagna composting.
Some plants prefer rapidly draining soils and mixing sand into a composted top soil can promote this.
Soil tests Clump test
Take a handful and squeeze it. Open up your hand. Sandy soil will fall apart. High percentage clay or silt will hold together. Touching the clump will either break it apart (= silt/loamy) or deform and remain a bound clump (= clay). While in your hands rub it with your fingers...what characteristics does it feel like. Smell? Some people will taste it, but since I don't expect you to taste many soils I see little point in developing a palate for how prevalent minerals found is soil taste.
Ratio of clay, loamy and sand
Take a roughly cylindrical glass jar (ex: Mason). Take a garden scoop full of soil and place in the jar. Fill about 4/5th the way with water, distilled water which can be purchased at a grocery store is best. Shake really well. Measure pH (next test below) if desired. Then add a couple of drops of dish detergent which will help speed up clay settling. Shake jar well, then set down. At one minute mark settled material level this will be the sand. As one hour mark the next settled level; this will be the loamy material. At 24 hours mark the last settled level; this will be the clay. Measure the distances between each and divide by the total height and this will give you the percentages of each material (see soil chart above).
Soil pH is usually
the most important consideration. pH is a measure of soil acidity or the opposite, alkalinity. pH is measured on a scale of zero to 14, with zero being most acidic and 14 being most alkaline. A pH of 7 is neutral. This is also logarithmic scale, meaning as you go from one whole number to the next it is ten times more or less acidic/alkaline.
Most soil in the USA is acidic. This is due to it being formed in good to heavy rainfall which removes certain buffering compounds and leave behind acidic components. Often too acidic. In the southwest it tends to be alkaline,due to the lack of rainfall. Alkaline is very bad. Plants cannot take up (minerals) critical nutrients well (ex.: phosphorus) above a pH of 6.8 (slightly acidic), and not at all above a pH of 8 which means no plant growth. Below a pH of around 5.5 most things can't grow (but, for example, blueberries love a pH down to 4.5 and this can be used to help out compete other plants). Below a pH of 4.5 few things grow. The ideal pH of most growing things is between 6.2 and 6.8. Learn what the ideal pH is of the things you plant.
The most convenient way of
testing pH is with pH testing strips. It can be very accurate. It does not require faithful cleaning the way a testing meter does. Select the strips that cover the desired range with a little cushion on either side; which should be pH 3.5 - pH 9. Put some soil in a clean container, preferably prewashed with distilled water to remove any dishwasher detergent that may remain. Add distilled water (available from your grocer). Shake, settle and test by dipping in the upper soil-water and following the incubation times on the test strip instructions. Then compare colors on strip to pH color evaluation chart provided by the test strip manufacturer.
pH can be adjusted up (made less acidic) using lime or gypsum. pH can be adjusted down (made less alkaline) with elemental sulfur or pine needles. This takes time and multiple applications over many months. pH should thereafter be tested every fall before planting. Test trips have a long shelf life in non-humid environments as long as the test strip package is kept in the dark (I like to wrap them in aluminum foil between uses).
Percolation test (How fast does your soil drain?)
Dig a hole one foot deep and in diameter. Fill the hole with water. Let it completely drain. Then immediately fill it again. Measure drainage in inches over time: Most conveniently by leaving a ruler in the hole. If it completely drains in more than 45 minutes, but under two hours great. Up to four hours is fine.
More than four hours is a big problem. Water will tend to hang around the roots literally drowning the plant--there is a lot of air in the soil and roots actually breath--and promoting rot. Add sand.
Less than 45 minutes is also a big problem as the water is draining away before the plant can consume much of it which is wasting water and stressing the plant. Add clay and loamy soil.
You can get your soil professionally tested at a soil lab for around $50. This should include micro-nutrient levels. Follow their sampling and shipping instructions. Avoid metal in sampling as much as possible as it can contaminate the samples. Generally you gather many small samples and mix them into one or the testing lab will mix them for you if separate cores are shipped in a single container. [One good test lab:
Midwest Labs; I recommend "S3C with recommendations" for $26.50.] Your
Cooperative Extension Service will have a list of local testing labs.
Nitrogen is associated with lush vegetative growth, adequate phosphorus is required for flowering and fruiting, and potassium is necessary for durability and disease resistance. This is the so called NPK standing for the atomic symbols of these three elements. You will see fertilizer with for example these notations: 5-3-3 or 30-20-30. Meaning 5 parts nitrogen (N) to 3 parts phosphorus (P) to three parts potassium (K) or 30 parts nitrogen to 20 parts phosphorus to 30 parts potassium respectively. Whenever you see high numbers like 30-20-30 you know it is synthetic fertilize. Low numbers like 5-3-3 indicate an organic source which to me is preferable as you will not burn the roots. Calcium, sulfur, and magnesium are also required in comparatively large quantities. These six nutrients are referred to as macro-nutrients.
Micro-nutrients, are required in very small amounts. These include such elements as copper, zinc, iron, and boron. Other mineral nutrients at low concentrations considered essential to growth of some plants are Ni and Co. Still other specific plants may require other minerals present for growth and fruiting.
A good soil electrical conductivity (EC) level tested with an EC meter will be somewhere between 200 µS/cm and 1200 µS/cm (1.2 MS/cm). Any soils below 200 µS/cm means there is not enough nutrients available to the plant and could perhaps show a sterile soil with little microbial activity. An EC above 1200 µS/cm may indicate too much salt, too high a fertilizer concentration or perhaps a salinity problem from lack of drainage so keep your EC within the above range.
Microbial soil life is also extremely important. Microbial life is beneficial. It provides nutrients to the plants. It recycles nitrogen the soil. It repels or kills plant predators. Rehabilitating soil, increasing life, increasing humus though sheet mulching.
Do not underestimate the importance of your soil's life. The quintesential Urban Farmer in Phoenix, Greg Peterson, tried a method of killing Burmuda grass by covering the area with black plastic and letting the sun do the rest. Worked like a charm. Not a single Burmuda seed survived--an amazing achievement! Unfortunately it killed everything else as well. He has been unable to grow a decent garden there for many years despite attempts at recovering the soil. Now he ripped it out and replaced the soil.
Disturbing soil. Macroscopic soil life: Earthworms; 25 or more per sq. foot is considered good. But you won't find that concentration in a desert. Other critters inhabit the soil as well. Often they help turn the soil over by burrowing through it or carving up chunks of organic detritus and excreting pieces more readily handles by soil microorganisms. Disturbing the soil should be avoided
period. It is extremely disruptive to soil organisms and can take more than a year (sometimes years!) to recover resulting in poor plant performance. The rule is, if you have to disrupt the soil such as tilling, do it only once. Do whatever amending you are going to do quickly to minimize sun exposure and desiccation and replace and possibly water.
Compost This is an overview and a brief one at that. There are books just on composting. All vegetable matter can compost. There are four main methods of composting for homeowners: Composting, Sheet composting, Vermicompost and chickens (with
black soldier fly larvae addendum). Enzymatic breakdown is a commercial form of large scale rapid composting as well. Composting produces methane and other flammable gases. But if done aerobically (with oxygen present), (anaerobically stinks and does not produce quality top soil) you will be left with a high quality pile of dirt in around nine months time if you were occasionally turning the pile and keeping it a little moist. There are commercial composting systems that ostensibly speed the process up as will more frequent turnings. Generally you can do fine on your own without the fancy equipment.
I prefer the three bay approach. One bay for composting materials to dry down in. This material is then broken up into as fine as substance as possible for the composting process to begin. One bay to compost in and the final bay to move the compost pile to when turning. Move back and forth between these two bays bays. Municipal garbage cans that have been withdrawn to end of life can be used as compost containers with modifications (cities are eager to rid themselves of them). Adding a scoop of fresh compost to the compost pile can help jump start the composting process by bulk adding the active microorganisms. Initially adding earthworms can help as they will migrate down under as the pile heats up. Some water is added. The compost pile will heat up in some cases to 160 degrees Fahrenheit killing off any seeds present. Odors and flies can be a problem. Best to locate away from any houses and local government ordinances may regulate a compost pile. Once the temperature in a compost pile starts to decline the composting process is concluding. This can be measured with a
compost thermometer.
Compost material should never contain animal products (there are exceptions and some controversy about this rule, but it is generally accepted). Compost material should consist of "green" material and "brown" material in approx. equal amounts by volume. Green materials provide nitrogen, consisting of moist organic matter such as green grass clippings, discarded kitchen scraps, and weeds (without viable seeds). Brown materials provide carbon, and consist of dead leaves, twigs, sawdust, straw, shredded newspaper (and documents), and other dry organic materials. Actually leaves can be considered either green or brown and so can be used to balance a deficiency in one of the other material on hand.
Compost material can often be gotten for free from a municipality; wood chips from the bulk garbage collection dept. or landscapers. They may even be willing to deliver them to your house for free, but you don't get to choose the source of the tree. And every week in every city in a certain area people are discarding compost and compostable material in nice black bags ready for you to pickup and use for free---it is called the week for bulk trash pickup and your city has a map of where it is going on. Happy scrounging. Additionally the neighbor's lawn guys may be happy to give you their clippings. Compost is important and only cheap if you make it yourself.
Sheet composting has already been described.
Vermicompost is the use of
red wiggler worms in a bucket with a drain (for the so called "worm juice"---
highly nutrient rich plant food so collect it because in Phoenix it is so dry generally evaporates before it can--sigh--be used). A lid to cut down on odor. Kept under the kitchen sink. Toss any scraps in, including animal products. These red worms will break it down. Start them out with wet newspaper. Add some newspaper every once in a while. In a dry climate like mine you may need to routinely add a little water otherwise in most places pretty maintenance free. The rapidly composted material can be added to the garden.
Chickens. The most amazing creature. Eats all your garbage. Gives you eggs or meat and manure (rapid compost). Feathers. Amusement. Tills your ground. Eats your pests. Just the best and for someone else who raises chickens to write about. The
black soldier fly larvae is the latest variation in composting vegetation producing worm juice and larvae that feed the chickens need for calcium.
Pollination Will your plant have a healthy sex life?
Generally fruit production happens when the pollen from a male pestle fertilizes a female stamen in a process called fertilization. I know---duh. But different plants have a variety of pollination possibilities. Besides the obvious of the wind or a vector (pollinator like an insect or bat) transferring pollen, many flowers have both male and female parts located inside their flowers. These are capable of self-fertilizing themselves.
Other plants have a block that prevents pollen from their own flowers from fertilizing themselves. These require a cross-pollinator to produce fruit (ex: apples). In these it is worth encouraging visitations by pollinators by creating conditions that attract them. It is also worth planting such pollinators down wind of the target of prevailing winds during pollen season.
There are plants that have separate male and females of their species. Male flowers or female flowers (ex: Kiwi vines). Males do not produce fruit, but their presence is required for females to produce fruit. Still others will self pollinate but fruit yield will increase if a pollinator is nearby.
And other plants just produce fruit without any fertilization process occurring.
What to plant? Dependent upon planting location, total sunlight, shade, climate, humidity, soil. Generally there are three growing seasons and one dormant season (i.e, winter) in any location. I live in an area (Phoenix, AZ) where things can grow year round. In areas with long winters growing seasons are short and crops must be planned accordingly, along with a long term larder for storing food through the winter (generally Nov. to March is nonproductive). Some varieties are adapted to cold better than others and ripen quicker than others and are suited for colder climates. The kinds of food that store well must also be planned with their crops ending in the fall harvest. Areas with a long winter may also be supplemented with heated greenhouse (expensive) and indoor container growing. The spring plantings can be sped up with transplants and cold frame or row covers to early start plants and thermal blanket protection over them at night.
Seeds (annuals) can be kick started in the end of winter inside the house under grow lights and heat pads or in cold frames or greenhouses.
Where are the pollinators coming from? Where are the parasitic pests coming from? Where are the beneficial insects coming from? Some plants attract life, others repel. Knowing this can assist your multiple crops development and survival.
Knowing all of this allows planning to adjust conditions to hopefully maximize productivity and minimize food waste. And like a lazy gardener, you want to set things up to run themselves as much as possible. Farming is hard work. I hate hard work!
Contacting your local
county extension agent,
master gardeners, university agricultural depts [keep in mind they are there to support farmers and their crop/row techniques may not be applicable to you], look for edible gardening clubs (most are for flowers), hit the Internet (blogs), local nurseries (the very good ones invariably seem to be the family run non-chain ones), local permaculture web sites, hit the books. Magazines [ex:
Backwoods Home magazine,
Mother Earth News, and
Sunset] and journals. Find out what does and does not grow well (or at all) in your area---don't waste your time, money repeating the mistakes of others. Don't make life harder for yourself initially. Plant for success. With success you can try other species or varieties with the hope that they too will be successful after you are up and going.
Next month Part 2: Edible Trees (fruit and nut)
Powell Gammill is a certified Permaculture Design Consultant whose interests lie in creating an environment in which food is grown to benefit families and draw neighbors together. Where dependency on outside resources is diminished. And properties are improved with use instead of being depleted.
