Vegetable Polycultures, Biodiversity Surveys and Plants. Week 5 - The Polyculture Project

in #permaculture6 years ago

Wow! can't believe how quick that week went. Here are some photos and news from the gardens this week :)&nbsp; <br />

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<span style="color: #38761d;">Market Garden</span></h3>

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We're continuing our polyculture trials in the Market Garden, and this year will be the 4th year of the study. You can find the results of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thepolycultureproject.com/annual-polyculture-results.html">previous year's studies here</a>. The below image is the general garden layout which includes various vegetable and herb polycultures, and control beds where vegetables are planted in block sequences in a more traditional system.&nbsp; You can find out more about the vegetable polycultures&nbsp;<a href="http://balkanecologyproject.blogspot.bg/2013/09/guilds-and-yields.html">we grow here.</a></div>

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Angela placing the tomato stakes and bean tripods in the polyculture and control beds. We'll start to plant everything out next week.</div>

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We continue to experiment with our annual polyculture Epictetus.&nbsp; Swede, parsnips and beetroot seedlings sown in strips are germinating, and we plan to plant out dwarf beans, kale and marigolds next week&nbsp;</div>

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An illustration of&nbsp; Epictetus&nbsp; It's basically a strip pattern of various vegetables from different plant families arranged to reduce pests and diseases, optimize space and nutrient share whilst respecting the individual plant needs for space and light.</div>

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In the home garden we're trying broad beans with garlic. Fabacea (Bean family) and Alliacae (Onion family) are not a recommended mix according to common companion planting knowledge, so far they appear quite friendly.&nbsp;</div>

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Observed this week was Chicken of the woods - <i>Laetiporus sp</i>. growing from a fine old Damson Tree - <i>Prunus insititia&nbsp;</i> in the hedgerow of the market garden. A choice edible mushroom and a very beautiful specimen. Last days for the Damson though.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

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Lesser Celandine -&nbsp; <i>Ficaria verna </i>flowering on the edge of the wildlife pond.&nbsp;</div>

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The herb layer in the emerging forest garden <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 12px;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.balkep.org/melissa-officinalis.html" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Melissa officinalis -&nbsp;Lemon balm</a>&nbsp;in the foreground with&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 12px;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.balkep.org/allium-schoenoprasum.html" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Allium schoenoprasum -&nbsp;Chives</a>&nbsp;behind and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.balkep.org/aronia-melanocarpa.html" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Aronia melanocarpa -&nbsp;Black Chokeberry&nbsp;</a></span><span style="background-color: white;">shrubs in the background.</span></div>

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<span style="background-color: white;">Two favourite&nbsp;biomass plants&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.balkep.org/symphytum-x-uplandicum.html" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Symphytum x uplandicum -&nbsp;Comfrey</a>&nbsp;growing from the base of a&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 12px;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.balkep.org/paulownia-tomentosa.html" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0) !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin: 0pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Paulownia tomentosa - Foxglove Tree</a>&nbsp;stool. The four poles are last year growth. They reached over 2m in one season.&nbsp;</div>

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Our perennial vegetable polyculture with<span style="background-color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 12px;">&nbsp;<a href="http://www.balkep.org/asparagus-officinalis.html" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0) !important; margin: 0pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Asparagus officinalis -&nbsp;Asparagus</a>,&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.balkep.org/allium-tuberosum.html" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0) !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin: 0pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Allium tuberosum&nbsp; - Garlic Chives</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 12px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>and <a href="http://www.balkep.org/fragaria-times-ananassa.html" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Fragaria x ananassa - Strawberry</a></div>

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<span style="color: #274e13;">Biodiversity Survey&nbsp;</span></h3>

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It was great to have <a href="https://ckirby-lambert.wixsite.com/naturalcuriosity">Chris Kirby-Lambert</a>&nbsp;back in town. Chris is working on the invertebrate diversity survey for the polyculture project. You can find the results of the May and June surveys from <a href="https://balkanecologyproject.blogspot.bg/2018/03/invertebrate-biodiversity-survey.html">last year here</a>.&nbsp;</div>

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Checking the sweep nets after sweeping the bed margins for invertebrates in Ataraxia - the perennial polyculture garden.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div>

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Some&nbsp; common invertebrates from the gardens</div>

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<span style="color: #38761d;">&nbsp;The Bionursery&nbsp;</span></h3>

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An image here of Grape - Vitis vinifera cuttings taken in late winter of this year, buried 20 cm deep into a 50% river sand 50% sieved compost mix. Looks like a high strike rate this year. I take the cuttings at the same time I prune the vines. This 25 cm diameter 25 cm deep pot will take around 12 - 15 cuttings. Keep the mix moist like a wrung out sponge and 60 - 80 % of the cuttings should develop roots and be ready to plant out by the Autumn.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div>

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<a href="http://www.balkep.org/ginkgo-biloba.html" style="margin: 0pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Ginkgo biloba&nbsp;- Maidenhair Tree</a><span style="background-color: white;">&nbsp;in leaf with the glossy backdrop of&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.balkep.org/mahonia-aquifolium.html" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Mahonia aquifolium -&nbsp;Oregon Grape</a><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></div>

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I still can't get over the fact that Gingko biloba has been knocking around this planet for 100 million years or so !!&nbsp; It would make a great exclamation - for example, upon seeing a plane crashing into a sky scraper - "Gin ko be lo ba"&nbsp; or "oh my Gingko" or perhaps "for Biloba's sake"&nbsp;</div>

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Gingkobiloba!! we still have a few places available on our seven day course coming up in June.<br />

For more info and registration <a href="http://www.balkep.org/regenerative-landscape-design-course.html">click here</a></div>

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&nbsp;If you appreciate the work we are doing you can show your support in several ways.<br />

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<li>Make a purchase of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.balkep.org/forest-garden-plants.html">plants</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.balkep.org/permacultureseed.html">seeds</a>&nbsp;from our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.balkep.org/the-bionursery.html">Bionursery</a></li>

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<li>Consider joining us on for one our&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.balkep.org/regenerative-landscape-design-course.html">Regenerative landscape design training course</a>s.&nbsp;</li>

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<li>You could also donate directly to our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thepolycultureproject.com/">Polyculture Project</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thepolycultureproject.com/crowd-funder.html">and receive rewards for your donation</a>.</li>

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<a href="http://www.balkep.org/the-polyculture-market-garden-study.html">Want to get involved in the project? We currently have space this year in July and August, and 1 - 6 month positions for next year's polyculture study</a></div>

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We offer a range of plants and seeds for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.balkep.org/forest-garden-plants.html">permaculture and forest gardens</a>&nbsp;from our plant nursery including a range of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.balkep.org/fruit-and-nut-cultivars.html">fruit and nut cultivars</a>. Delivery to all over Europe available from Nov - March</div>

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Hello @balkep. I think you need to edit your post. I think ordinary markdown will be okay for your post or you can edit the codes.

Thanks, i was trying html copy paste from my blog , i did not realize i posted it.