There are as many gardening practices as there are gardeners. In this lesson, we will touch on two broadgardening concepts: organic agriculture and permaculture. We’ll discuss how these two concepts might guide your garden design and management. We’ll introduce these concepts because, statistically, home gardeners are some of the greatest contributors to pollution through overuse of pesticides and fertilizers. Learning garden methodologies that omit the use of these chemicals within the ecology of your site will grow a healthier garden and create less harm to the earth. Throughout the next seven lessons, organic practices and permaculture methods will be incorporated. For further reading on these topics, refer to the references listed at the end of the lesson.
wonderful pathway plant as it is durable and yields a sweet fragrance when walked on. Plant Propagation Almost all flowering and cone-bearing plants can be propagated sexually by seeds and also asexually by cuttings, division, grafting, or layering; as well as from bulbs, corms, rhizomes, offsets and runners. Cuttings: Use for both softwood cuttings made from current years growth & hardwood cuttings from older wood. Tomatoes do very well this way. Also can use leaf cuttings (succulents, begonias, African violets) and root cuttings (quackgrass is notorious). Need high humidity & porous rooting medium (sand, peat moss, vermiculite, sphagnum moss, perlite or combination) Division: Divide root clumps when they push up new small crowns around the base of the mother plant. (iris, aster, rhubarb, aloe) Grafting: Mostly used for fruit trees, to attach a branch (or entire tree) which produces desired fruit to hardy root
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Leave for 6 months or until roots are formed. Runners: (naturally occurring layering) strawberries, vinca, spider plants
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HEALTHY WORKSSM :: VICTORY GARDENS SAN DIEGO :: REGIONAL GARDEN EDUCATION CENTERS saving seed (cold, dry storage best in refrigerator in sealed packages) Tree seeds: dry for 1-3 weeks on screen or canvas: for cones, dry for 2-12 weeks Berries or grapes: crush fruits (with rolling pin or in blender), wash off residue, dry. Or place fruits in water & allow to ferment for 2-3 days, then separate seed and dry. Biennials: (roots, vegetables, parsley, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) wont produce seed until second year. Save roots in cool storage and plant out the second year to get seed, or just leave a plant in the garden in mild climates. Seeds to be dried on plant: beans, peas, corn, root vegetables, spinach Seeds from soft fruit (tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, squash): leave on plant until fruit is overripe. Then, ferment in water, remove residue, dry (like berries; see above). Compiled and edited by Benjamin Fahrer (2006), Occidental Arts and Ecology Center.
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HEALTHY WORKSSM :: VICTORY GARDENS SAN DIEGO :: REGIONAL GARDEN EDUCATION CENTERS G A R D E N N G 1 0 1 I : : A P P E N D X I 1 43 2 X D N E P P A I : : 1 0 1 G N N E D R A G I 44 2. the Prime directive of Permaculture The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children. Make it Now. Permaculture is a whole design science that is reflective of natural patterns and promotes mutually beneficial relationships Rooted in ethics, the concepts and themes in Permaculture helps us rediscover how to be a positive contribution to the earth, ourselves, and humanity. the ethical intention of Permaculture Earth Care. Care of the Earth. Allowing provisions and resources for all life systems to continue and multiply. People Care. Care of People. Allowing provisions for people to access those resources necessary
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