Polyculture Gardening Part II

Here’s the Part II of our polyculture garden tour. 

 

Kale

On the outer edge of the bed I planted kale as a living fence. It grows quite high and defines the borders of the bed.Also it creates some kind of a barrier for cats.

Kale plants you see on the video were planted last year’s spring.They endured frost, snow and heavy winds.We ate them all year long up until this spring.Now they are on seed. But I started to see new growth on their stem, meaning that they will still produce leaves!

Their flowers in spring are loved by bees of all kinds . Now I’m collecting a ton of seeds  and spreading them all over the garden! They are the most reliable vegetable in the garden.Even if there’s nothing else to eat, there’s kale!

 

Worm Tower

Last fall we made worm towers by drilling holes to large pvc pipes and burying them in soil.We keep putting vegetable scraps and dried leaves in it until it’s full and close its lid. We have 4 of them in different parts of the garden and they work great so far. Worms and other decomposers come in from the holes and eat away the scraps, turning them into compost!

 

Corn and Beans with Squash (Three Sisters)

In one of row I planted corn and beans with squash at the beginning and end of each row. Beans provide nitrogen for the corn while corn becomes a living stake for beans to climb. Squash shades the soil and prevents weeds from sprouting. 
Three sisters system is much better planted in a circle with pumpkin on the edges. But this year I had a free bed which I decided to fill with corn and beans.

 

Tomatoes , Basil and Beans

Basil is a lovely companion for tomatoes. It deters pests with its smell and attracts pollinators when it’s flowering. 
Beans provide nitrogen to the soil for the hungry tomatoes. So I planted bush beans here and there around the tomatoes.